


Restoration

by harume



Category: Naruto
Genre: Angst and Fluff and Smut, Cousin Incest, F/M, Fluff and Smut, How to restore a clan 101, Implied/Referenced Incest, Shameless Smut, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Smut, smut with plot
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-27
Updated: 2019-09-06
Packaged: 2019-12-25 13:12:05
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 28,517
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18261989
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/harume/pseuds/harume
Summary: Sasuke and his cousin are the two last Uchihas remaining in Konoha; a little fragment of their quest to avenge their lost clan, and there’s smut inside!





	1. Caves

Sasuke and I had been on the hunt for months by now, with barely any results at all. Sasuke was more than determined to find his brother and avenge his clan, but we still haven’t found any signs of Itachi what so ever. And all of this was starting to get frustrating, at least for me.

I had been following Sasuke and his revenge for months, being close to him even before we both joined Orochimaru with the only intention of becoming stronger and avenge the Uchiha clan. That's because we both grew up in Konoha, together actually. I was part of the Uchiha clan too, being Sasuke’s cousin, but I never really wanted to take my revenge against Itachi; I forgave him a lot time ago, but Sasuke never did. He almost forced me to join him and his quest when he left Konoha, and I initially gave in only because we were family: with us being the last Uchihas around I thought that sticking together, like the old times, was the best thing to do... Even if I didn't really agree with my cousin’s goals. 

While being stuck with Orochimaru, my devotion for him grew only fonder and stronger; we always had each others' back, fighting together and growing up together, even after all the terrible things that happened to us. It was at that time that I realised what he really meant to me, and it wasn't merely family love. I was starting to feel something for him, or maybe deep down I always did.

Everything made sense to me when he finally admitted his feelings for me one night, after we defeated Orochimaru and started our journey together in order to find Itachi.

"I want to restore our clan back to its rightful glory, Shiori. And I want to do this with you." I could still remember the words he whispered in my ear. It didn't feel disgusting or wrong, it felt just… Right.

“Are you here or somewhere else? I’m talking with you.” his voice finally brought me back to reality. Sasuke was staring right at me, his usual annoyed expression on his tired face.  
“Sorry... I was just thinking.” I replied embarrassed, looking straight down at the ground. He looked at me questioning my vacant eyes, probably trying to understand what was going on inside my head: he was really good at that. 

“Is something wrong, Shiori?” he turned around and faced me completely, his hands shoved in the pockets of his black coat.

“Nothing, really. Don't worry about it Sasuke.” I smiled shyly, putting a stray strand of dark blue hair behind my ear. After all this time spent together he was still able to make me feel this flustered just by looking at me. 

“Fine, if you say so. We should stop for the night. It's already getting pretty dark.” he muttered, looking up at the slate-colored sky.

“That’s fine with me... But where are we staying?” I asked confused, noticing that around us stood only trees, bushes and caves.

He eyed a dark cave hidden by some strange looking bushes, and slowly walked towards it.  
“Here should be fine.” Sasuke stated, his voice didn’t seem like he was joking about any of it. 

“W-What? A cave? Again?” I sighed. I was sick of sleeping on the damned ground just because he was too selective about his hideouts. 

“Can't see any place better than here right now, so...”

“But… We passed by that inn before, why couldn't we just go back there?” I protested, refusing to step any closer to that stupid place.

“Too risky, you know that.” Sasuke answered, his voice distant as he was too busy collecting some wood to a fire.

“Tsk. I'm sick of this.” I whispered annoyed and angry at him and his stoic behaviour. He was hot and cold, I could never place out his intentions and his way of thinking.  
“What did you just say?” he growled at me, his eyes darkened all of a sudden. He never really liked when I talked back to him like that.

“I said that I'm sick of sleeping on the ground! I'm sick of running the whole day not even knowing where we are going! It's been months, Sasuke!” I shouted, the tension that I so desperately tried to hide for all this months finally exploded. I always tried to be nice, calm, understanding and polite towards him, but now I had enough of this style of living he forced on me.

He lowered his dark eyes, going back to the logs of wood he was trying to collect for the fire, not even answering to me.

“Fine. You don't even care about what I feel.” I finished bitterly, stepping towards the fucking cave: his silence spoke louder than a thousands words to me. 

“How can you say something like that, Shiori? You know how much I care about you, and you know that finding him means everything to me.” at this point he was shouting back too.

“Of course I know, but what about what I want, uh?” I faced him once again, all my shyness and calmness thrown at the wind.

“Fuck, you are so stubborn sometimes!”

“No, the stubborn one between us is you, Sasuke. I always do what you want me to do, and I never question or complain about anything, but now I've had it.” my hands were shaking by now, I was not used to these kind of situations and arguing with him was probably the last thing I wanted to do. My brain told me to speak and my heart told me to be patient.

“Fine, go away if you want. I'll come back to get you when I'm finished with him.” he said, not even looking at me in the eyes.  
His empty words hurt me more than a thousand knives, shy tears started forming automatically in my eyes. 

He only needs me to bear his children and restore a fucking slaughtered clan. He just needs me for breeding pure Uchihas and making his clan stronger, that was the end of it. No emotions or feelings involved.

When the realization hit me, my mouth opened in order to say something, closing immediately right after. It was not worth it, not after what he said. 

The sky was darker now, the night was rapidly approaching upon us, so going away wasn’t really a smart move from me. I turned away from his figure slowly, entering that damned cave.

It was really dark and even more humid inside, surely it wasn’t really the best place to spend the night, but sadly for me it was the only option. I removed my black coat and placed it down on a straight patch of dry grass on the ground. The floor of that fucking place was all bumpy and uneven, it was probably uncomfortable even for wild animals. 

I sighed, straightening my coat as best as I could. Thank the Gods we already ate before, otherwise I would have had to look at his stupid face during supper. I sighed, fighting the copious tears now collected in my dark orbs. Thoughts kept running wild inside my head, and his harsh empty words were still buzzing loud and clear inside my mind. Trying to fight back my emotions, I put an arm under my head and tried to think about anything else that would help me relax and shake off this horrible feeling of being hopeless and useless. 

Maybe I’m this upset because I truly love Sasuke, but I’ll never get used to his rough behaviour.

After what seemed like an eternity, I heard him entering the cave and placing those fucking logs not so far from my now tense body, lighting up a nice fire using his jutsu. The warm heat soothed my aching body almost immediately, making me relax a bit more against the hard rocks underneath me. 

After hesitating on what to do, I could sense Sasuke going back outside the cave, leaving me alone with a sea of thoughts.

_________________________________________________________________

 

It was nighttime by now, and I was still wide awake while Sasuke was still sitting around the fire, far away from my seemingly asleep form. I was facing away from him, my eyes fixed towards the rocky end of the cave, but I could still feel his eyes heavily staring me while I pretended to sleep.

I was still so upset with him, even after all these hours had passed. His empty words hurt me way too much, sleeping on it was out of question by now. I really, really wanted to sleep on it and heal my tired body, but the fucking ground was way too uncomfortable for me to fall asleep. I had to admit it though, after all these months I was slowly getting used to sleeping on the ground, or to the cold breeze during those nights, or even to the fucking bugs crawling up my legs.

All of a sudden I heard Sasuke getting up and moving away from the fire; I could feel him stepping closer and closer to where I was laying, my heart racing like crazy. I heard the fumbling of his coat, and suddenly he laid next to me, placing his thicker coat on our bodies as he adjusted himself behind me: he probably though I was already sleeping. His strong arm slowly snaked around my waist, keeping me safe and close to his warm, hard body. I flinched a little, not expecting this sudden close contact with him.

“I didn't mean what I said before…” he whispered, his face nuzzling in my long blue hair. I sighed heavily, still upset.  
“Shiori, I don't want you to leave me, ever. I'm just upset, I’m sorry that I have to put you through this.” he admitted, his voice sincere and more similar to what I was used to. This was the Sasuke I fell in love with.

I slowly turned around, his heavy arm still glued to my waist. I was now facing him, and his eyes looked deeply sorry and regret was clearly written on his features. It almost made me regret saying all those nasty things to him. 

“Sasuke… I’ll never leave you, and you know that. I'd rather sleep on the ground every single night...” I chuckled, his calloused fingers skilfully caressing my face. A soft smile appeared on his perfect lips, a smile so sincere that never failed to make my heart flutter. 

“I love you, you have no idea of how much I love you.” he said, placing a soft, chaste and feather-like kiss on my forehead.

“I love you too, so much.” I immediately replied, his soft lips covering mine without making me finish what I had to say.

His kiss went from being sweet to almost desperate pretty quickly. His lips devoured mine, pulling and biting them with anticipation. My tongue was now being captured by his, which was exploring my mouth mercilessly. Without breaking the kiss, his heavy body rolled on top of mine, crushing me even more against the ground. He pulled away from me only because we were lacking air, a fine string of mixed saliva connecting us. 

I searched for his eyes from under his heavy body, panting a little because of his vehement and passionate kiss. He just smirked at me, his eyes heavy and full of liquid lust. He was now pressing his lower body even more against my core, making me feel how ready he was to make me his once again. His hard cock was heaving on my stomach, and I moaned shyly when he started grinding his hips into mine, his erection now repeatedly connecting with my already wet core. My hands travelled across his chiselled chest freely, unraveling the knots that prevented his shirt from revealing his torso to me. I finally removed his shirt, and my arms immediately went to scratch his large, muscular back. He stopped clashing our sexes together just to remove the top half of my clothes, leaving my chest bare for him to torture. His mouth went straight for one of my rosy buds, licking it and biting it while fondling the other with his hand. A loud moan escaped my mouth when he bit down hard. I could feel him smirk against my sensitive skin.

“Please, moan for me, Shiori...” he always liked the sounds I made, and never liked when I tried to hide them from him. He then attacked my neck, skilfully ravishing my sweet spot in order to make me moan louder and louder. My hands snaked down to his aching member, stroking it from outside the rough fabric of his combat pants. His hips bucked against my hand almost immediately, letting out a low grunt of frustration.

“Fuck… Don’t tease me, not tonight...” he whispered as close to my ear as possible, the vibration of his breaths making me shiver with anticipation. We both needed our fair share of pleasure and I was more than ready to help him unravel all this tension. 

His hand travelled down my body, reaching for the hem of my combat shorts and pulling them down harshly with my panties. One of his fingers rubbed my slick opening, making me whimper from the sudden contact. He dipped his skillful pads in me, massaging me softly while making me loose all sense of reasoning. 

“You are so wet for me already...” he whispered in my ear once again, making me clench around his long digit. I could have cummed right there and then.

He roughly inserted another finger in me, pumping them in and out my core more restlessly now, while circling my clit with his thumb.

“Sasuke…Please...” I moaned, my back arching and our chests clashing together as he observed me unravel underneath him, a show he was now too familiar with but never bored of. 

“You like this? Uh?” he moaned, his hips moving by their own as he tried to get some kind of much needed friction while he curled his pads upwards, caressing a spot that made me see stars over and over. I simply nodded, unable to formulate any kind of sentences. 

He lowered his head back on me once again, trapping my nipple in between his lips, smirking and still thrusting his fingers inside of my now clenching entrance. I was so close at this point, and he noticed it too, knowing me way too well by now. He teasingly removed all of his fingers from me at the same time, waiting for a reaction. I opened my blue eyes wide open. Talk about no teasing tonight.

“Why… Did you…” I panted heavily, almost crying at him as I was just too close for all the magic to end. 

“I want you cum with me tonight...” he whispered mischievously, fumbling with his pant and removing them as fast as possible. I could feel he was pretty desperate at this moment, judging from the way his hands trembled with every move he made. 

I looked down at his throbbing, aching erection: it looked almost painful for him, so thick and ready for his release, already lubricated with his own beads of precum trailing down the shaft. He stroked himself a few times, groaning at the sight of me underneath his control. He then adjusted himself, aligning our cores: he coated the head with my own juices, and fully thrusted himself inside of me with one, rough thrust. We both moaned together at the newly found contact, so intimate and precious for the both of us. I arched even more against his hard chest, his size never failing to make me a whimpering mess, and he rested his head inside the crook of my neck, completely still and waiting for me to adjust at his size. I felt completely filled with him buried so deep inside of me, the feeling making the both of us falter and wanting more at the same time. It felt just right.

“Fuck… How can you still be this tight…” he groaned, beginning to thrust himself in and out slowly, with a slow but steady rhythm. 

“Sasuke... Please don't stop…” I moaned, my nails clawing at his strong back, probably leaving marks on his already tattered skin. 

He took one of my legs and placed it on his shoulder, entering me even deeper like this. I could feel him in my lungs as he restlessly ravished me with steady, fast thrusts, crashing me under his weight. 

The rocks beneath my body were not even bothering me at this point. He pumped in and out of me even harder if possible, hitting my spot over and over. I could feel the familiar and buzzy sensation of the knot in my belly beginning to unravel with each and every one of his raw thrusts.

“Sa-Sasuke… I'm gonna…” I cried, my eyes shutting completely while he was looking down at me with hooded eyes. I heard him groan, an animalistic one that I’ve never heard from him before: a mix of pleasure, annoyance and wanting things to go by his plans. 

“Hold it.” he commanded, wanting to pleasure himself a little longer, even when I could swear he was more then ready to explode. I clenched around him in order to prevent me for climaxing, and he moaned hard again. All of this was making me go insane for him.

“Fuck… Do that again…” his pace was now getting sloppy, and I knew he was almost done. I clenched my walls once again, sending him to heaven.

“Sasuke, I can't… Hold it… Longer...” I cried between a thrust and the other, between a kiss and another one.

“Cum for me.” and with his permission I finally let myself go, clenching hard and moaning even louder, probably drawing blood from his poor back. He came right after me, his hooded eyes closing hard as he kissed me while pumping his hot seed deep inside my body with a low growl. Sasuke rode out our orgasms as long as possible, sloppily thrusting inside until every drop of his precious seed was buried deep within me. He then collapsed on top of my exhausted body, panting hard and resting his forehead on my shoulder. I caressed his back slowly and sweetly, knowing how much he liked that kind of gesture. 

We stayed like that for quite some time, his member slowly softening inside my core. His hot breath was fanning against my ear, while his delicate fingers where combing through my dark blue hair. 

“You're crushing me...” I chuckled shyly while he was peppering my neck with wet, sloppy kisses. He then rolled beside me, his arm grabbing my waist and pulling me closer to him immediately.

“You know why I'm gonna kill Itachi?” he asked, his chin resting on my head while I was nuzzling in his broad chest. I looked up at him, curiosity clear in my tired  
eyes.  
“I have to kill him so that we’ll be able to raise our children without them knowing what fear is.” he whispered, looking straight into my eyes, both of our Sharingans shining vividly from what we just did. 

His words struck me, and everything made sense now.

I reached for his soft lips, slowly kissing him while he hugged my form with his muscular body. No words were needed, not now.


	2. Intuition

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A brief look at what happened during the Uchiha Clan Downfall, and how Sasuke and Shiori decided to stick together during those hard times.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is set a couple of years before the first one, during the Uchiha clan downfall. For the sake of the storyline, Sasuke is not as young as he was in the series (as well as Shiori, she’s just a year younger than him): they are 17 and 16 during this specific chapter. I decided to continue this old story to create a series, I hope you’ll enjoy this! :)

It was almost twilight when Shiori left her house to meet her friend outside her clan’s compound. The warm hues of red and orange sunlight particular of that hour never failed to make her feel calm and eased after her tiring afternoon trainings. A slight breeze was rustling the few fallen leaves that were laying near the side of the main entrance; summer was almost ending, and a new but usual feeling of nostalgia settled deep within her soul. 

She ran, being late as always to meet her friend Akane, who was already waving and smiling at her from a distance. They were both still wearing their training attires and Shiori was way too tired to go out that night, but Akane would never forgive her if she didn’t. 

“Sorry to make you wait! Sensei was not satisfied with us today, he made us practice a bit longer.” she justified herself, panting from the run. 

“Don’t worry Shiori, I was only waiting here for a couple of minutes! Shall we go?” Akane smiled brightly, her smile contagious and sincere. 

Shiori simply nodded. She began following her friend away from the Uchiha compound. She looked behind her a few times: something was not right. These strange feelings of awareness and panic had accompanied her throughout the whole day, put she couldn’t quite place them. Something was off, she could feel it in the air, but she quickly shook her head and decided not to think about it, and actually enjoy this rare occasion where she could hang out with her dear friend out of the training camp. 

The two young girls walked and laughed, the solemn Uchiha clan crest that towered over the city of Konohagakure becoming smaller and smaller as Shiori departed from her family, without really knowing what that meant at that time. 

She couldn’t shake that horrible feeling away for the life of her. 

___________________________________________________________________

Hours had passed, and Shiori was still laying wide awake in her friend’s room. Akane was sleeping beside her, a few occasional snoring sounds coming from her sleeping form, but that was not the case for Shiori. She’d been restless through the whole night, wild and unhappy thoughts racing through her mind without a reason. Her heart was pounding too, and that was never a good sign in her eyes, as she knew her body far too well. 

Something’s not right. 

She kept hearing those words buzzing in her head, a bad premonition but an unreasonable one for sure. Why would something be off? She spent a wonderful night with her friend, talking and laughing about girly stuff, so why couldn’t she shake this weird feeling off of her?

Shiori sighed again, turning away from the snoring face of Akane towards the large window. And then she saw it. 

Fire.

Bright fire in the distance, a piecing light in the darkness. 

She gasped as her dark orbs widened with horror, immediately trying to wake Akane up. 

“Akane! Akane wake up!” her voice low but panicked at the same time. It took Akane a couple of seconds before she realized what was going on, looking at Shiori with confusion and sleep in her eyes. 

“There’s a fire outside! We should warn someone!” Shiori was now panicking, her heart was racing like crazy and she kept feeling her head pulsing with anxiety. She hated fires. 

The two girls weren’t the only ones who noticed the big fire burning alarmingly in the outskirts of Konohagakure: people were already rushing outside their homes with panic in their sleepy eyes.

“It looks like it comes from the Uchiha compound!” and old man shouted to his family, but Shiori heard that too, and she realized that it may have been true. There were a lot of clan compounds down that way, but that feeling she kept experiencing the whole day told her the truth. 

Something was indeed wrong. 

She then began running towards the direction of her house, her sleeping kimono hanging on her body haphazardly as she ran through the streets, tears already forming in her closed eyes. It took her a handful of minutes before she realized that she could hear screams down the road. She approached the screaming lady and asked her what was happening.

“A fire from the Uchiha clan compound! A lot of people are injured!” Shiori wanted to scream at her words. She knew it. 

Upon reaching the compound disbelief and confusion settled deep within her mind. It seemed like the fire was started in the main reunion rooms, and not in the single houses. People were already trying to put off the fire, which was rapidly decreasing in size with each passing minute. Shiori ran towards the right side of the complex, where the buildings seemed apparently intact and where her home was located.

“Where’s the clan? Why isn’t anyone outside helping?” she exhaled right before reaching her house’s front yard. Everything looked fine from the outside, nothing out of place or seemingly wrong at first sight. Shiori smiled, they must be sleeping, she thought. Panic settled back when she noticed that the front door was slightly open. 

She entered her house cautiously, but everything looked like when she had left. The kotatsu was still out in main living area, the sake cups her parents used to use for dinner were still laying on top of it. 

“Dad? Mom? Are you still sleeping?” she gathered her courage and asked, but the dark hallway to the bedrooms remained silent. Way too silent for her likings. Shiori slowly stepped towards her parents’ bedroom, noticing how the sliding door was slightly opened too. Her shaky hands grasped the door, and she hesitantly opened it to reveal a shocking image displaying right before Shiori’s empty eyes. 

Her dad and mom, laying together in a pool of blood. 

From how they were laying it looked like they were still sound asleep when someone decided to cut their throats in their sleep. Shiori felt a wave of never before experienced emotions coursing through her tired body, the sudden realization of what had happened making her angry, scared and incredibly broken. Her parents were laying dead before her trembling eyes, their eyes and mouths still wide open form the confusion and panic that caught them before dying. Before she knew it, everything in the room started spinning and going black, her body not able to metabolize such strong emotions. 

Shiori passed out at the entrance of her parents bedroom, her body completely drained from any sort of life or will to fight.

___________________________________________________________________

Shiori didn’t really know how much time had passed since she fainted in her parents bedroom, but after a while she could feel someone pulling her lifeless body up and away from that room. She was being carried outside bridal style, low breaths still coming from her, indicating she was not a victim of that night. Shiori looked up with red hooded eyes, her head still pulsing from what had happened. 

Her cousin Sasuke was carrying her outside her house, a severe look on his face. She’d never seen Sasuke this angry in her whole life: his face was usually bright with laughter and his eyes were always smiling to everyone. 

“Sa-Sasuke...” she tried to call for her cousin, still too weak to talk properly.

“Don’t talk, you need to rest.” as soon as he heard her speak, Sasuke’s eyes drifted immediately towards her. She was incredibly weak, her breaths coming out as a low painful moans. 

“What... What happened? Why is everyone dead?” she continued, anger and panic filling her voice.

“Let’s discuss this later, you need to rest first Shiori.” he finished, harsh and distant. 

Shiori sighed, relaxing a bit more against his chest, and eventually she passed out once more. Sasuke cursed and started walking faster: he was headed towards the safest part of Konohagakure, which was the hospital, full of medic nins that could help him and Shiori. She was in desperate need of some healing chakra, as her body felt like jelly and she was having trouble breathing. 

Sasuke barged through the main entrance of the hospital, his cousin’s body still in his arms. He asked for help, and some trusty medic nins came rushing towards her alarmingly weak form. 

“She needs some chakra immediately, she’s too weak!” Sasuke’s voice was panicked, the events of that night finally weighing on his shoulders. They were alone now.

Shiori was now being taken away from him, and his hands began to shake with fear. What if they couldn’t save her? What if they took her away and could never give her back to him? Wild thoughts began to run in his broken mind, and he concluded that he didn’t want to be alone. He despised being alone. Shiori was his dearest cousin, he was always fond of her as she was the quieter one. The one who needed to be protected the most.

“She going to be fine right? Where are you taking her?!” he asked, almost shouting when he saw her fainted figure disappear behind the door that led towards the intense care part of the building.

Some medic nins tried to keep him calm and away from her, but Sasuke managed to free himself from them and follow Shiori as she reached another safe room. The medic nins put the fainted girl on a plush tatami mat to rest, her face was now contorted as she tried to fight back the terrible nightmares that were invading her mind. Sasuke sat right next to his cousin, holding her fragile, cold hands while the medic nins helped her regain some lost chakra, preventing her life flame to die. 

It was going to be a long night.

___________________________________________________________________

Shiori opened her eyes slowly and cautiously, not aware of surroundings. The last couple of hours were a blur, and she couldn’t really remember anything that had happened that night. All she could remember was her friend Akane, sleeping soundly next to her. She coughed lightly, her head felt as heavy as a rock and her body was screaming for how weak it was. She felt a pair of warm hands clasping her cold ones, and her eyes travelled immediately towards a pair of dark orbs looking straight down at her. Those eyes looked empty, sorrowful and so familiar. 

Sasuke.

Everything came back to her after seeing his dark eyes, desperately looking for some comfort in hers: the fire, all the screaming, and her dead parents. She scanned his face and saw nothing but fear and emptiness. Thinking about it, her face probably looked the same, if not worse. 

“Sasuke, what’s going on..?” her voice was still low and weak, but she still managed to sound scared, making him worry. 

“Shhh. Are you hurting? Should I call someone?” he asked her, checking for her temperature which was now finally decreasing. 

“No... I’m not hurting, but you should really answer my questions. I beg you.”

“Shiori... Now it’s not the right time to talk about this, people are listening.”

“I don’t care... Please Sasuke, tell me why all of this is happening to us!” 

Shiori tried to keep her voice low, but her cousin was really making her mad. She didn’t care about anyone else other than herself and Sasuke now; she knew he had the answers she was so desperately looking for, and the fact that he didn’t want to discuss any of it was rapidly getting on her nerves. Her parents were dead and he was all she had now, she needed him to trust her and talk to her. 

“Fine, I’ll tell you, but you need to keep quiet... Promise.” he sighed, not ready to discuss the matter. 

Sasuke told her everything about their clan’s downfall. He told her about how Itachi slaughtered every single Uchiha he found on his way, just for the sake of becoming stronger and test his limits. He told her how he managed to stay alive and why he needed to seek out his revenge, for himself and the clan. Shiori couldn’t understand how Itachi, of all people, was responsible of such a gruesome and unreasonable act: she always trusted him and his judgement, he never failed to help her and advise her when she needed him... They were all incredibly close cousins. Sasuke told her everything in detail, but she didn’t cry. Uncle Fugaku and her sweet aunt Mikoto were dead too, and Shiori promised that she’d be strong, for herself and Sasuke’s sake. 

“We are alone now, but I’ll look after you. You’re my younger cousin, I need to protect you.” Sasuke stated, making this his duty. 

“I’ll look after you too, Sasuke. You’re my family now, we need to stick together and help each other out...” she exhaled as they both promised this. 

Sasuke nodded, smiling bittersweetly down at her: she looked just like his mother Mikoto. Shiori was the only daughter of his mom’s sister Minami and his uncle Tetsuo Uchiha. He needed her to be safe and happy, her smile was always one to die for and he needed to see it on her pretty face again. 

Shiori gripped his hand tighter, a shy but bitter look on her face. They were going to make it, somehow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m not entirely satisfied with this chapter, but I decided to post it anyway as I really wanted to go on with the story: this chapter is just a filler I created to explain how and why Shiori is a surviving member of the Uchiha Clan. I’ll be adding some of these filling chapters along the way just to describe how some relevant parts of the series have changed for Sasuke, now that he is not alone and has Shiori beside him during his revenge. I’ll specify when a filler/background chapter comes up :) 
> 
> Thank you so much for reading, please leave me a comment if you liked it or if you want to let me know that this sucked! Hehe, English is not my first language, so I’m sorry for any grammar/writing mistakes. 
> 
> Have a nice day, see you soon! :)


	3. Goals

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A brief summary of Shiori and Sasuke’s first moments together as the last Uchihas alive. Past chapter! :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Sorry for the delay with this chapter, I got really busy with university and my exams :( it really sucks sometimes! Anyway, I hope you like this chapter and please feel free to leave me some feedback if you want! :)

They say time heals all wounds. 

Shiori kept telling herself to be patient, and time would do its magic. It surely wasn’t possible for her and Sasuke to forget something so devastating overnight, but their daily lives seemed to get better as months passed. Sasuke didn’t want them to leave Konoha, not just yet: he wanted to get stronger, and wanted Shiori to become even more powerful as a medical ninja. They even moved together right after Shiori was able to leave the hospital, as Sasuke didn’t want her to leave his sight; she was his only hope for a better tomorrow, as he was hers. 

Months passed by, and gradually the two established new routines as they went on with their lives. It was now late winter, and Shiori was starting a fire in the main area of the house, just in time before Sasuke would return home for dinner: he had this unnerving habit of never letting her know for how long he’d train alone after their usual training sessions together. It drove her mad, but she knew how much his goals and ambitions meant to her cousin. 

Sasuke himself had told her during one sleepless night not so long ago. She was sitting outside their room admiring some shooting stars, in the front porch. She had tried to be as sneaky as possible and not wake him up, but Sasuke had always been a very light sleeper. He immediately felt something was missing, and ended up finding Shiori aimlessly looking at the bright stars. She had asked him about sleeping in separate rooms a countless of times, since she had a lot of troubles falling asleep after the accident and because of her nightmares, but Sasuke had always refused: he was afraid of being alone, but most importantly he feared that if she’d find herself in danger he’d be unable to save her. 

“Trouble sleeping, Shiori?” he questioned her with a low, confused voice but still managed to make her wince with surprise. She chuckled, but then looked at his tired, dark-rimmed eyes. He needed to sleep and stop worrying about her. They needed to fight their own demons by themselves, sometimes. 

“Yes... But I told you many times before, you don’t have to get up for me, you need some rest Sasuke.” Shiori sighed as he took a seat next to her. This boy was just too stubborn.

“I slept more than enough.” he simply stated, looking up at the stars. 

Shiori’s eyes took advantage of this moment to analyze his momentarily absent face, his features relaxed as he observed the night sky: everything about him reminded her of her lost clan, from his raven hair to his dark eyes, he was so similar to her dear and caring aunt Mikoto. His eyes were barely rimmed with a pair of slight dark circles, and Shiori noticed some new scratches on his nose and checks. He must have trained a lot. 

“You know, today I managed to finally recreate a jutsu I’ve been trying to learn for a while now. It took me a lot of practice but I feel stronger now. Maybe we’ll be able to leave this damned city in a couple more weeks.” he broke the silence, Shiori’s thoughts suddenly shattered as she was brought back to reality. 

“I’m so happy for you... I know how much that jutsu meant for you Sasuke! B-But, where should we go? What do you mean by leaving?” she asked him puzzled, he never hinted about leaving before. 

“I need to start a journey to find Itachi. I must avenge our Clan, Shiori. I have to do it for me and you, he destroyed our lives and he needs to pay for that. That’s why I’m training so hard, I need to be strong enough to face him when the time finally comes...” his eyes turned bright red, his Sharingan shining vividly just at the thought of his hated brother.

“...And you’ll be coming with me, this place holds nothing good for us. You see how people look at us when we’re out in the open. They look at us like we’re freaks, I can’t let this happen. We deserve the respect and the glory that our Clan once had. I’m going to fix this, for the both of us. I just need you on my side.”

Shiori didn’t know how to respond to him at first, his whole speech made butterfly fly in her stomach and made her feel like she belonged somewhere, but they were too young and too inexperienced to leave their home, or to fight against Itachi. 

“Let’s go back to sleep, uh?” she got up and offered him her small hand, not wanting to touch this subject again. Maybe all they need to feel better was the right amount of time to heal and change their ideas of the world. 

But as soon as Shiori saw Sasuke enter their home after his training, she recognized the same eyes that spoke to her that night. She was so lost in her thoughts about the past that she didn’t even hear him until her reached her in the dining room: she looked at him and he looked at her, not a word being spoken but she saw the same spark and the same grin of the night he told her about his plan. Some snow was wetting his black coat, wetting the floor as it melted down from it. 

“Sa-Sasuke... Welcome home. Dinner’s ready, sit down please.” Shiori smiled at him, rushing to him and trying to help him remove is drenched coat. He was getting so tall.

“Thanks. How did your medical exam go?” Sasuke asked her, curious about the outcome of the final exam of her academy’s study season. She completely forgot about it. 

“Ah! It went well, thanks for asking. I passed it, they were very satisfied with my healing jutsu.” she responded as she brought him his dinner, sitting right before him. 

“So you’re officially a medical nin now?” 

“Uhm... I guess you could say that. I never tried healing an actual human person, but yes.” 

Shiori chuckled shyly, making Sasuke smile right back at her. Her laugh was so genuine and contagious that he felt all his worries and fears disappears. They were never extroverted types, but they truly enjoyed and cherished each other’s company in the comfort of their solitude. Sasuke trusted her with all his heart, and someone who could cook such a delicious dinner had all his admiration. 

“I have great news to share too.” he stated while munching on a big bite of rice. 

“Yes? About what?” her eyes shone brightly, she always hung on his every word. 

“I think we’re both strong enough to leave Konoha.” 

Shiori froze. For a moment she questioned herself, and thought she may have misheard him, but deep down her guts she knew something was up with him the very moment she saw his glimmering eyes that night. 

“L-Leaving? But why?”

“I told you already. You know why.”

“But... I thought you-... we were happy now?”

“I am happy, Shiori. You make me happy with everything you do for me, but you know I have to do this or we’ll never be safe here.” he was right. Deep down she knew he was right, and that their fear for Itachi’s return was not an unfounded one. 

“Okay... I’ll come with you then. I trust you, Sasuke, and if you think this is the best thing to do I won’t question this.” she held his hand between hers, feeling his grip tighten in response, a silent thank you coming from his chapped lips. 

______________________________________________________________

Leaving Konoha had been harder than she thought. Sure, she had terrible memories tied to that place, but she also had incredible friends that were counting on her. Shiori was about to leave them all behind, for him. Following Sasuke was never something she doubted, but she started to question his decision as she followed him sneakily in the middle of the night. They packed everything in a hurry, their house was not that full of stuff to begin with. Shiori didn’t feel sorry because she was attached to material things, but she felt remorse course through her when she thought about her friends: she didn’t even say goodbye. She looked up, Sasuke’s back facing her as he remained silent while walking carefully before her. 

They’d been walking for more than four hours now, darkness surrounded them as the night was silent and cold; her feet where already hurting because of the snow, but she payed no mind, physical pain never really bothered her. But Shiori felt hopeless. She didn’t really have a choice or a say in this, she just knew she had to be patient: separating herself from her family wasn’t something she wanted to do, so she followed Sasuke and gritted her teeth bitterly. 

“Are you tired?” Sasuke stopped walking all of a sudden, and she bumped her forehead right against his chest. She looked up at him, her eyelashes fluttering shyly because of the closeness. His face was blank -as usual- but comforting, some snowflakes drifting right upon his nose. 

“I’m fine... Just a bit cold. We can continue if you want.” she smiled at him, her breaths coming out in small puff of steam. Sasuke smiled back at her, her support was all her really needed. 

“We’ll stop when we reach the first inn. There should be one just somewhere near us, maybe half an hour of walking away from us. You should really walk next to be, by the way.” he started walking again, grabbing her by her arm and making her walk at his pace. 

“Sorry, I was just thinking...” she smiled shyly, feeling the warmth of his body radiating right next to hers. This made her feel immediately better, and much safer: he always had this effect on her.

“We should reach our destination by tomorrow morning, if we manage to rest enough later. We just need to reach the end of this forest and we’ll be there, don’t worry.” he breathed, just loud enough for her to hear him whisper. He never told her where they were headed, and that said a lot about how much Shiori trusted him. 

It took them almost another hour of walking before they found the first suitable inn to spend the rest of the night/morning. It was located right before the end of the forest, and that meant they could have a decent amount of sleep without worrying about being late on schedule... Whichever this schedule was to begin with. Sasuke asked the old lady for a room, and she escorted them to the second floor of the old building. Shiori walked right behind him, her body finally relaxing because of the cozy warmth which engulfed her as soon as they entered the inn. The old lady opened the door for them, leaving the key to Sasuke and going back to the main entrance without saying a word. 

The room was quite small, but nice enough to help them regain some rest for the time being. It was filled with bare necessities: Shiori noticed the big futon laying on the ground, which was a single one, but big enough to fit them both. There was also a small fireplace lit up in the corner of the room, making the environment cozy and familiar. 

“You want to take a bath?” Sasuke said softly while removing his drenched coat. He waited for her to remove her too, and placed them right before the fire so that they could dry up for the morning to come. 

“You can go first, I don’t mind.” she breathed, still somewhat puzzled by the presence of just one futon on the floor. 

Sasuke nodded, leaving her alone in the room as he entered the small door that was connected to the ofuro. He didn’t seem fazed by the fact that the old lady brought them to a couple’s room: thinking about it, from an objective point of view they probably looked like a couple of young lovers in need for a place to spend the night. This made Shiori blush with shame, but Sasuke didn’t really react to it, which made her even more ashamed at herself and her thoughts. 

She waited for him to enter the ofuro and went to inspect the futon as soon as she heard the water run: it was indeed a whole thing, there were no signs of separation and no way she could turn it into two separate futons. 

“Damn it.” she cursed. Sasuke was her cousin, but technically he was still a guy. She was used to sleep in the same room as him, but sleeping in the same bed was something different; they sure had their own problems when it came to sleeping together, as he was a light sleeper and she couldn’t really sleep at all. Sleeping in the same bed meant compromising, but Shiori was never the extrovert type to begin with: she cherished her personal space and her loneliness, even when it came to her cousin. 

“You should wash before the water gets cold. I filled up the bathtub for you.” Sasuke caught her unaware and she jumped, pulling back up and away from the futon. She looked terribly mortified, her eyes tried to look everywhere except for his hooded eyes. He had changed into the sleeping kimono that the inn provided them with, so his chiseled chest was what Shiori saw confronted with as her eye level sight. This wasn’t really helping the situation with her racing heart.

“T-Thanks! I’ll go in immediately then!” She hurried inside the small ofuro, closing the heavy door right behind her without looking at him in the eyes, not once. Shiori sighed: this was not a big deal after all, she was just caught unprepared. Sleeping with Sasuke was something she had already done a hundred times before, and this was no exception to their routines. 

When she finally finished her bath she hesitated a bit to go out. Her muscles were finally soothed and all the stress seemed to have disappeared: she was so ready for bed, her sleeping kimono was thrown and tied haphazardly on her body as she tried to cover her body in the best way she could. Cool air greeted her as soon as she walked out of the bathroom, the bedroom was now pretty dark as the candle used to light it up was now almost completely burned out. Shiori spotted Sasuke, and he was tucked in bed already: maybe he was already asleep. She checked the doors and made sure they were all locked up, burned the candle out and stepped cautiously and silently towards the bed; small low breaths were coming from Sasuke’s seemingly asleep form, and she tried her best not to make a lot of noise as she followed him under the thick covers, nestling right beside him as she turned the opposite way, her back against his muscular one.

“Are you cold?” Sasuke sighed, feeling her shivering slightly beside him, Shiori gasped again: she would never understand this habit that he had of always scaring her with his quiet but decided voice. 

“No... I’m just- this kimono is a bit too revealing for me. I’m not used to it.”

“It fits you nicely.” He said while turning himself towards her small form and looking under the covers. 

“Thanks... I guess, I’m just not used to, you know, this.” She gestured between them, just a small space dividing their bodies. It was unfamiliar, but it was nice, she cherished the typical warmth radiating from his body. 

“Is this uncomfortable for you? I don’t really mind, you know how much I hate sleeping alone.”

“I’m not uncomfortable... I like being next to you. It’s new, we never really talk this close.”

“I like being next to you too. I can sleep better knowing that you’re next to me and I can protect you better.” 

“I don’t need your protection every moment, you should relax sometimes. But thanks.” 

“Well, I like to think that you do need me.”

Shiori looked at him with sleepy eyes, his eyes equally as hooded as hers. He scooted closer to her, and she could sense how nice his hair smelled after this bath. She didn’t know why, or when it started, but she could feel butterflies in her stomach, a churning sensation that she never felt before. Sasuke fell asleep, his face an inch from hers, his arm thrown roughly at her waist.


	4. Beginnings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sasuke and Shiori meet with their new trainer and reason with their feelings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! I'm back from the dead! 
> 
> I have so many things going on in my life right now that I completely neglected this fic, I'm so sorry and I'll try to redeem myself with the next chapters :) This chapter is still a past one, in which I explored the feelings of Sasuke and Shiori's new relationship as a family of their own. Please review if you want, I'd love some suggestions if you have any! Would you like more of a slow burn or do you guys want some smutty content asap? Let me know and I'll gladly modify my chapters to suit your requests! <3 I'll be more constant with updates from now on, I'm free from my university exams until mid July! Yay! <3
> 
> I hope you'll like this one, thank you for reading and commenting!! <3 :)

When Shiori woke up the next morning, she was immediately greeted with the comforting warmth of a strong body pressed tightly against hers; strong arms were engulfing her much smaller frame, keeping her safe in their tight hold. It didn’t feel alarming to her, nor did it feel weird: she felt like she belonged, and this weird emotion was somewhat forgotten to her. It felt nice and cozy, until she felt the other person shift behind her and she was suddenly aware of who was sharing the futon with her. She recalled the previous day and it all came back in focus, but still, she didn’t want to move and unravel herself from such a comforting embrace; she nuzzled herself even tighter against Sasuke, and his muscular arm was immediately grasping her waist even tighter, while he slept soundly next to her. Shiori decided to cherish this peaceful bliss until it lasted. 

It took Sasuke a couple of minutes before he started noticing the strangely pleasant feeling of her supple skin pressed right against his. He softly groaned at those thoughts, the early morning ones. Her round backside pressed right next to his groin was becoming quite difficult to ignore, and the peachy scent of her soft hair was intoxicating to him. He gladly welcomed her in his arms, but he was afraid he would be hesitant to let her sleep away from him from now on. It was not an option in his mind anymore, everything felt way too nice for him to give it up so easily. 

He had to shift and back up from her a little bit, or she would have noticed how stiff he was becoming against her butt. He wouldn’t have been able to explain it to her, not yet at least. But the fact that Shiori was nuzzling back against him was more than encouraging and hiding his instincts was becoming pretty difficult. A low chuckle escaped him, as his arm strongly encased her small body once again, trying to keep her close, but not that close. 

“Good morning…” his voice croaked, still sore from the heavy sleep. He didn’t even try to remove himself from her now, noticing how she had accepted their closeness too and didn’t find it repulsive. He was glad. 

“Morning…” she murmured shyly, turning herself to face his glowing face. Shiori noticed how peaceful he looked as he smiled softly, his hooded eyes full of something she couldn’t really place. He looked happy and well rested, and this was everything it took to make her feel the exact same way. And strangely enough, she wasn’t missing Konoha like she thought she would. 

Her thin sleeping kimono was leaving almost nothing to the imagination, and Sasuke was having a real hard time trying not to focus on such a revealing neckline or the supple valley of her breasts. Her skin looked so soft and creamy, not to mention the fact that she smelled so good… He was really a goner, but he wasn’t sure she would accept him yet, or ever. He had been harbouring these feelings for a long time now, surely he could wait some more and let her accept him at her own pace. 

“We should really get going.” he stated, noticing how her eyes saddened for a split second. He didn’t want her to think he was regretting this, so he started combing his skilled fingers through her soft navy hair gently, trying to convey his affection the only way he could at that given time. She smiled at him, nodding back with a bright flushed face. He smirked, she was so sensitive.

When they finally emerged from their room, fully dressed and ready to leave, the old lady who owned the inn was cleaning the place and removing the excess snow from the entrance. She eyed them with a dissatisfied look and collected the money Sasuke gave her with a grunt. Her disapproval for young lovers visiting her inn was very noticeable, and Shiori really wanted to tell her that they were just cousins travelling, but something in her mind made her question the only thing in her life she thought she was sure of: her relationship with Sasuke.

A cold morning breeze welcomed the two as they finally exited the inn, the weather was really nice as it had finally stopped snowing, and the timid winter sun greeted them with its shy warmth. Shiori was glad they managed to dry their coats and shoes, otherwise they would have been all stiff and wet by now. 

“Let’s go now. Stay by my side, it shouldn’t take long.” Sasuke said, walking away from the inn into the main road, back inside the thick forest they left just the night before. Shiori did her best to try and walk as close to him as possible, as he instructed. She still wasn’t aware of their destination, but she trusted Sasuke and his reasonings, never questioning anything he asked of her. She simply walked beside him silently, secretly still thinking back at the pleasant awakening she experienced that morning.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

It took them the whole afternoon before they finally reached what Shiori assumed was their destination, only because Sasuke stopped in his tracks. Looking before her, she noticed the purplish-coloured facade of what looked like an underground building, with a set of stairs that brought right before the main entrance. The large entrance was adorned with weird drawings and symbols she couldn’t recognise, and inside it was only darkness. 

“S-Sasuke… What is this place?” she murmured, a slight feeling of discomfort and awareness piercing through her. That place had an eerie vibe and Shiori knew something was up deep down in her guts. Maybe it was because it was nighttime and everything looked much creepier at night, but she was sure she could sense something evil lurking in their surroundings.

“It’s a hideout.” he simply stated, looking straight down the dark entrance. 

“A hideout? And why are we here?”

“I need to talk with someone. And that someone is inside this place.” Sasuke started walking down the old stone stairs. He reached the large opened door before he noticed that Shiori was not following him anymore. 

“What’s wrong?” he asked her, distress clear on her pretty face. 

“I have a bad feeling about this, Sasuke. This place is filled with dark chakra, it’s overpowering. Who lives inside this place?” she tried to reason with him for the first time in their lives.

“That’s none of your business, Shiori. Now come, nothing bad will happen, and I’m here to protect you.” he tsk-ed, annoyed with her sudden question. She was a smart girl, he knew that, and he forgot about her abilities of sensing chakra. He didn’t want to tell her about his plan because surely she would disagree with this. But he needed to get stronger in order to defeat Itachi, and the old school training back in Konoha was not doing it for him anymore. 

“I’m not following you unless you help me understand.” she exclaimed, Sasuke knew how stubborn and scared she was so he complied. 

“This is Orochimaru’s hideout. We need his trainings to become stronger, it’s what matters the most now. Come.” Sasuke stepped back up the stairs, grabbing Shiori’s small hand in his bigger one, trying to urge her to follow him and join him. 

“What? The snake sannin?! He’s evil! Why would we need his help!” Shiori shook away his hand form hers, suddenly out of breath. She couldn’t believe he was about to ask for help from such an evil creature, Sasuke out of all people! Orochimaru’s deeds were well known and condemned throughout all the villages, and she was sure they didn’t need him in order to reach their goals. 

“I know what I’m doing. You don’t have to worry about anything, I’ve got everything planned for us. And we won’t need him for long.” he reassured her, loving the way her lips trembled with insecurity and worry about the whole ordeal. Such a caring girl, he thought.

Shiori looked at him in the eyes, she was unsure about this but Sasuke had everything planned, she trusted him but was deeply sorry about the fact that he would never share his intentions beforehand. They needed to work on that if he wanted to have her by his side. 

“O-Okay. I trust you… But we need to discuss stuff together. I have you and you only, Sasuke.”

“And I have you. I don’t want to burden you more than I have to. Everything I do is for us and our future, remember that.” he whispered, a small and reassuring smile appearing on his face as he caressed her soft cheek with his calloused pads. 

Sasuke grasped Shiori’s hand once again, guiding her down the stairs and inside the huge entrance and into the dark corridor that led inside the dungeon. The air inside was thick with humidity and the walls were moist with dew and moss, it was the perfect habitat for a snake being like Orochimaru. It took them a couple of minutes before they were able to reach the end of the humid corridor and find what looked like the main area of the hideout. Another set of corridors branched from this room, which was made out of stone and lightened by a few fire torches and incense sticks. Right in the center Shiori noticed a small throne made out of rocks, and a pale figure seated comfortably on it, looking like he was waiting patiently for their arrival as he basked in the scented fumes.

“Took you long enough, Sasuke-kun.” Orochimaru exhaled, his slimy words echoed through the entire empty room. His piercing yellow eyes were burning holes in the two of them, and his sick smile promised nothing but bad news.

“And who is this beautiful creature behind you?” he slithered down his stone throne, circling the two Uchihas to inspect them better. 

“My cousin. But you will have nothing to do with her. We’re here just for the trainings you promised.” Sasuke’s tone was hard and strong, asserting his dominance with just a few words. The snake retracted, stopping on his tracks and nodding in agreement.

“Of course... The price doubles, I wasn’t aware of your little companion. I will show you your rooms, we’ll start as soon as the morning comes. Rest until you can.” Orochimaru stated, turning away from the two and reaching the corridor to the right. Sasuke followed him with Shiori’s hand still enclosed in his, walking with a safe distance behind the snake ninja. 

Orochimaru took them to what looked like another corridor full of doors. The place was really a maze, Shiori had completely lost her sense of orientation. The forgotten sannin opened two of those doors, introducing the two Uchihas to their respective rooms. They were cold, almost empty and bare, with only futons thrown on the ground and small bathrooms inside. The pavement was made out of large blocks of rocks and so were the walls: they were cold and humid to the touch, not the ideal during long winter nights. 

“We’ll need one room only.” Sasuke exhales, grabbing Shiori from behind him and shoving her haphazardly inside the empty chamber, making her gasp from the sudden and abrupt contact. 

“I see, I see… We’ll start tomorrow at dawn.” the snake finished as he eyed them with curiosity, before slithering away back to where he came from. His voice was so slimy it gave Shiori the chills. Disgusting.

Sasuke closed the door behind them, securing it with some protection jutsu and seals. He then removed his drenched coat and placed it next the fire pit. Shiori did the same, and cold air immediately greeted her sensitive skin making her shudder.

“How am I supposed to trust you, when you don’t even trust this guy?” Shiori shook her head, sitting on top of the thin and tattered futon. 

Sasuke didn’t answer. He simply tsk-ed at her, while unraveling the purple cords of his pants and aiming straight for the ofuro. He didn’t want to deal with this topic and her doubts any longer, it was quite unnerving. He drew himself a bath that could finally help him soothe his aching muscles and desires, preparing himself for the night to come.


	5. First Times

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello guys! :) 
> 
> I'm back with another chapter of this story, and man this is really turning into a slow burn! I decided to add a teenie weenie bit of smut at the end, just to spice thing up again since it's taking me quite some time to finish these past chapters and go back to where we left these two in the fist chapter. I hope you don't mind the slower progress, I really wanted to give more background to their relationship; I love describing the awkward situations they are slowly getting themselves into, and I hope you'll enjoy reading them as much as I do :) I wanted to remind you guys that I'm not following the exact same order of the anime/manga, I'm changing things up just to make everything fit with my ideas. For example, Sasuke here is 17 years old and he still wasn't marked by Orochimaru (hehe) and Shiori is just a year younger thank him. 
> 
> Enough with the chit chats, I hope you'll like this chapter and the tiny bit of smut in the end, I promise we'll get "there" soon enough, I just love a slow burn you know ;)

When Sasuke emerged from the small bathroom with nothing but his dark pants on, Shiori felt her breath getting stuck in the depths of her lungs. She wasn’t expecting to see his broad chest and muscular arms so randomly, and even though she wasn’t about to complain she still turned her head the opposite way, with a deep and prominent flush very much visible on her usually pale cheeks. 

Sasuke noticed her flustered state immediately, but did nothing to help. She needed to get used to seeing him like this, he thought. He smirked lightly and kept ruffling his dark hair with a towel, noticing how she kept glancing at him sideways. 

“There’s no sleeping kimonos.” he stated matter-of-factly, his distant tone and impermeable face delivering such dramatic news to his poor cousin with no consideration of what this actually meant for her. 

“N-no kimonos?” Shiori simply repeated, quite baffled but definitely not surprised. It was a miracle this room had a futon, so this wasn’t really a surprise considering the bare state of the whole hideout. 

“We’ll have to wash our clothes too. They’re dirty.” he said again, throwing the towel back in the bathroom.  
“Maybe that’s why he offered us to sleep in separate rooms.” her tone was quite bitter and sarcastic, she didn’t really understand why he pushed her so rudely in that forsaken room to begin with. She was more than capable of creating protective seals by herself, but he still treated her like the child she once was.

“That’s out of the question, Shiori.” Sasuke fell down limply on the futon, his eyes closed like he was deep in thought, his hands under his head. His wet and messy hair was staining the futon with a few droplets of water, and in that exact moment Shiori thought she’d never seen someone look so effortlessly beautiful in her whole entire life. 

“I don’t mind sleeping here with you, if it means I can keep you warm and safe all night.” he continued, his dark eyes now scanning her worried face curiously. 

Shiori didn’t know how to reply. These past days had proven to her that she felt somewhat uncomfortable being so close to her cousin, not because she was ashamed of something, but because her heart would start racing like crazy when he was this close to her. She didn’t understand the origin of these lustful and wild thoughts she’d been having lately, they were cousins for fuck’s sake. She felt mortified at the idea sharing the futon with him once again, with these thoughts now so clear in her mind. Some people would call her a freak, and maybe even Sasuke would think that of her and her stupid attraction for him. Not that she intended revealing this to him anytime soon, or ever for that matter, but she felt like it wasn’t right to pretend like all of this wasn’t effecting her in some type of way. 

“I don’t mind it either, as long as we keep something on…” she blushed heavily once again, whispering shyly in hopes that he couldn’t hear what she just said, her face turning away from his gaze almost immediately.

“As you wish.” he whispered back, tucking himself under the thin covers of the futon with his pants rising low, but still on. He was now facing the opposite wall from her, the candles in the room were playing a game of lights and shadows across his pale skin and chiselled back, and all of this wasn’t helping her current state.

She got up and mindlessly headed towards the small bathroom to wash these thoughts away, sighing heavily as she collected Sasuke’s clothes from the floor in order to wash them. The tub was very small but she managed to scrub away all the dirt collected on his light tunic and fabric belt. She then removed her clothing too, and did the same with hers, except from the thin undergarment of her day to day combat kimono. After she felt satisfied with the cleaning, she proceeded in washing her body and hair, scrubbing away all the fatigue and tiredness. 

Silent tears started streaming down her flushed cheeks as soon as her mind clouded up with thoughts regarding the past days. They were not tears of sadness, nor of anger: those were tears of confusion and loneliness. Her mind wandered off to some happy moments of her past, to her now dead parents and her friends back at Konoha. She didn’t even say goodbye to her dearest friend Akane that night, she just left everything and everyone behind just for Sasuke. She cared for him deeply, and trusted him with all her heart, but all of this was so unfair to her. The least he could do was to share his plans and thoughts with her, instead of leaving her an emotional and confused mess. 

“Fuck…” she exhaled and splashed her face with some fresh water. She didn’t even know why she was crying and being a baby right now. She agreed to this, that was true, but the idea of feeling so useless and unprepared was playing tricks with the already fragile mindset she was in. Shiori decided to wash herself quickly and exited the ofuro, her dark, long hair still slightly wet and her thin pale tunic hugging her body like a glove. 

Her eyes felt irritated and red from her previous breakdown, so she was glad to notice that Sasuke was still facing the opposite wall and didn’t move an inch. As she tucked herself under the covers with Sasuke, she didn’t fail to notice how extremely thin the mattress was; she covered herself the best she could, and tried to find a comfortable position without touching his cousin’s warm body, which was a very difficult task considering how small the futon was and how much space his larger frame was occupying already. She quietly sniffled a couple more times before closing her tired blue eyes, ready to forget everything that happened that evening. 

“Hey… why are you crying?” Sasuke whispered lightly, turning his heavy body to face her, but she turned away as soon as he tried to grab her waist, refusing to look back at him fearing that tears would betray her and start collecting in her eyes once again. 

“Look at me, Shiori. Why are you crying?” he repeated himself, this time with a much firmer tone than before. He didn’t really like to repeat his questions, especially when he knew she did actually hear them in the first place. His heavy hands landed on her waist, keeping her safe and steady against him. 

“I’m fine! Don’t worry about me, I’m just tired.” Shiori tried her best to sound convincing, but her voice trembled as soon as her blue eyes met his dark, severe and worried ones. 

“I can’t fix it unless you tell me. Is it something that I said?” he was genuinely concerned about her being sad for whatever reason she was, it was against his duty and he needed her to be serene in order for him to be happy too. 

“N-no… I’m not used to this. I just- I just need my time to adjust to all these new things…” she hiccupped and felt his warm hands cup her face, worry and guilt mixing in his dark orbs. 

Sasuke stared at her for a couple of seconds. It pained him to know that she was uncomfortable with the new lifestyle he imposed to her. He knew this was all too egoistic from him, but he really couldn’t leave her behind, being far too protective to leave Konoha for this quest without her by his side: he needed to know where she was at all times, if she had eaten well, if she was cold, sad, or sick… He loved her with all his body and soul and couldn’t bear the idea of separating himself from his only certainty in life. But at the same time, seeing her crying because of him and his forced request broke his heart with guilt. He hated to see those beautiful blue eyes he so adored full of tears and discomfort, only because of his actions and demands.

“I- Shiori… I’m sorry. I couldn’t leave you behind, I hate myself for it but I need to have you next to me at all times. It has been like this since that night… The night they took you away from me to heal you… I can’t stand the distance, and I don’t want to… I’m sorry that my obsession is heaving on you too.” Sasuke kept her face still with his hands, his body trembling as he confessed his deepest fears to her. Shiori couldn’t look away even if she wanted, she never saw him in such a vulnerable state before. 

“S-Sasuke. I would never- I could never… Leave you.” she exhaled, her dry tears being replaced with a few happy ones. He admitted his darkest fears to her, and she was grateful that he finally decided to open up with her and let his emotions run free for once. After what seemed like an eternity, his hooded eyes stopped looking into hers, his heavy gaze now directed to her pink, supple lips.

“I don’t care if you’ll hate me for this, you have all the rights to be angry with me afterwards, but I can’t stand it any longer…” he added with a soft whisper, a whisper that made Shiori shudder with fear and anticipation. 

With his strong hands still cupping her flushed face, Sasuke decided it was time to finally let his instincts take the best of him. His mind was telling him to stop before anything unforgivable happened, but his heart and body ached to belong to the only person he had loved for months now. Her lips looked so soft and ready to be devoured by his, and he couldn’t deny himself any longer. He kissed her slowly at first, testing the waters and seeing how far he was allowed to push this. Shiori just stayed there, unable to move or comprehend what was going on, but she didn’t push him away, which was something. He kept moving his lips across hers, pecking them slowly and softly, waiting for the end of it all. 

He groaned deeply when she finally kissed him back. Her unexperienced lips trembled against his at first, but then she started pressing her body more and more against his solid one, while kissing him timidly. He smiled, never breaking the contact, and swept his tongue across her lips as a permission to push himself even further. When she finally gave in, his tongue started clashing against hers without wasting any more time, massaging every inch of her wet cavern aimlessly. It was heated, passionate, without any form of control or common sense left in their minds, but it was perfect. Nobody could see them there, nobody could judge them for what they were doing in the comfort of those walls, and they were grateful of it. Because truth and realisation was something they weren’t ready to face, at least not that night. 

Sasuke’s body rolled over hers, his muscular frame pressing her even harder against the thin futon. Shiori anchored herself at his strong shoulders, the force of his desperate kiss never faltering. He pulled back only because they were lacking oxygen, and his hooded eyes took in what was laying under him: her dark hair was disheveled and messy across the pale pillows, her cheeks flushed and lips red from his merciless attacks. Her sharingan was shining brightly in the darkness of the room, the two little tomoes of her eyes contrasting with his three bigger ones. She was truly beautiful, a true Uchiha, and she was finally his now. His chest rumbled lowly, the primal desire to sedate his thirst and making her his was having the best of his judgement: seeing her panting and flustered just from their kiss was tickling his ego to the extreme. 

Shiori couldn’t resist how sultry his red, hooded eyes and his sweet lips were making her feel. This was all happening way too fast, she cursed herself for being so easy but blamed the lack of oxygen for it. But gods, he was such a good kisser, she couldn’t have enough of him after this small taste. He pecked her lips again, one last time, with his eyes full of something she thought was affection, but clearly it was so much more.

“S-Sasuke…” she whimpered under him, not really sure what she was looking for. She felt a strange, unfamiliar sensation tingling in her belly, making her shudder with anticipation of what was still to come. All of his rough ministrations were driving her insane. 

Sasuke pressed his lower body against hers, making the both of them grunt at the newly found contact. His cock was so hard it was almost painful, but the pleasant drag of they clothes against each other’s was giving him some sort of relief. His pace was steady and strong, but he had to stop himself after a couple of thrusts because her sweet moans were way too much for him to handle, he was already a panting mess. 

“I’m not planning on taking you… Not tonight…” he panted, his hot breath fanning right against her ear as he nuzzled himself in the crook of her neck, inhaling her sweet, intoxicating scent and kissing the sensitive skin of her neck, making her mewl even louder.

“But… But I want you, I want you so much…” she cried at the loss of all the pleasure he was providing her with, so she circled her hips up in order to urge him to start grinding himself against her core once more. All of this was driving her nuts, she didn’t want it to end, ever.

“I want you to think about it first, your mind is clouded now… I don’t want you to regret this in the morning.” he whispered cheekily, kissing down her neck to her creamy, round breasts. His hand was now venturing down her toned legs, up to her most sacred and sensitive area, where she needed him the most. He teased her with a feather-like touch, caressing her as a small chuckle escaped him. This was not one of those dreams that kept him wide awake during his countless sleepless nights, this was all really happening, she was really returning him and his unholy love. He groaned as he teased her silky folds, pleased when he noticed how slicked with desire she was for him. He had to bit his lips hard to prevent him from bending her over the bed and ruin her with his seed right then and there. He had to behave, though: he wanted to give her at least this choice, he needed to wait for her to adjust and make up her mind about this.

I’ll make it easier for her to love me, he thought and grinned. 

Shiori was a mewling mess under his gentle and foreign touch, she kept biting her already tattered lips to prevent herself from moaning way too loud, his skilled fingers leaved her breathless. She could feel him explore her with his calloused pads, caressing her sensitive nub and circling it with a bit more pressure with each passing second. The rough texture of his fingers just added to the sensation, pleasuring her tenfold. He kept looking down at her with those hooded eyes and his typical smirk, loving how her face contorted with each wave of pleasure he was providing for her. He was proud, she was all his now. Sasuke dipped his merciless fingers even further, coating them with a new wave of her liquid essence. He started teasing her tight entrance with the tips of his pads, pushing two fingers slowly inside of her core. He grunted once more as he felt her tight walls enveloping him in a warm and wet clasp. 

“Fuck… You’re so tight against my fingers…” he groaned breathlessly, her intoxicating scent and hiccupped moans were affecting him more than he was willing to admit. His cock twitched with a new anticipation, he really couldn’t wait to feel how tight her walls would clasp him to keep his dick buried inside her warm cunt. He kissed her hungrily once more, trapping her bruised lips with his as he kept scissoring his fingers as deep as he could go; he was glad to notice that she was still a virgin, he could feel the resistance of her maidenhead still intact and ready for him. 

“Sasuke… Please, don’t stop. It feels too good…” she cried underneath him, her hand covering her mouth as she kept looking at him with glazed and grateful eyes. Such a good little girl, he noted. He shook her hand away and kissed her again, a kiss full of teeth in which his saliva mixed with her tears of pleasure. 

“You like this, uh? You’re loving this.” he chuckled, ready to make her burst.

Shiori nodded frantically, unable to form a clear sentence as she cried even louder when she felt his calloused thumb back on the neglected bundle of nerves, circling and pressing it with just the right amount of pressure to make her vision go fuzzy and her eyes turn back. She felt the unfamiliar knot in her belly unravel more and more with each passing second, the mix of his fingers, his grunts and his breath against her ear was enough to send her over the edge. She moaned his name and came panting harshly, all the air in her lungs replaced with pure ecstasy. Her legs clamped involuntarily from the new pleasure, and Sasuke kept tickling her weak spot with his digits trapped deep within her, as she experienced her first ever orgasm. It took her a couple of seconds to come back down from the heavens and relax her now extremely sensitive body. 

“Welcome back.” Sasuke greeted her, pecking her lips and removing his fingers from her drenched cunt. He was so proud of her, she took his fingers like a champ. He looked down at his coated fingers, smiling proudly as he noticed a big stain on the mattress, a residue that clearly showed how much she really desired him. She chuckled, a bright flush on her cheeks that deepened as soon as she saw him licking her essence off his drenched fingers. 

“You taste so sweet… I can’t have enough of it…” he mumbled, his tongue still lapping up his pads, looking down at her with glazed eyes. Shiori swore she felt herself clench against nothing just at the mere sight of him doing such an intimate thing. 

“Don’t say stuff like that…” she blushed heavily, covering her face with her small hands, too shy to face him after what had happened. It all felt so surreal to her, she couldn’t wrap her head around what kind of magic he did to her just some moments ago. Her body memory was still fresh, and she could still feel his long, thick fingers teasing her most private parts.

“I mean it. I could become addicted to it.” he huffed, collapsing right next to her on the futon, his arm covering his bright red eyes as he inhaled deeply trying to ignore the painful erection hidden under his baggy pants. Shiori took advantage of the situation to admire is perfect profile and his peaceful expression. She took everything in: his knitted brows, his swollen lips, the sheer layer of sweat on his forehead and hairline… Fuck, she was baffled at how much her body craved for his touch and ministrations now that she had a taste of what he was able to do. 

A peaceful silence replaced their previous moans and grunts, the small room was heavy with humidity and the distinct scent of pleasure. Sasuke grabbed her by her waist, pulling her closer to his hard chest and nuzzling his face deep in the juncture of her neck, basking in her so characteristic peach scent. She chuckled, his soft hair was tickling the skin of her face, but she cherished the intimate contact. Their legs intertwined, and Sasuke placed a few stray kisses on her forehead while combing his fingers through her messy hair sweetly. Shiori felt something hard and solid press against her belly, and she immediately felt sorry for neglecting his pleasure and being so self-centered with hers. 

“Don’t worry about it. It’ll go away in a couple of minutes.” He murmured as soon as he noticed her stiffening in his arms. 

“You want me to, you know… help you with it?” she shyly asked, searching for his eyes. 

“Not tonight. I won’t be able to stop if you touch me…” he admitted, making her shiver with just his words. She nodded, understanding the fact that he wanted to take small steps at the time out of consideration for her wellbeing. 

“Try to sleep now, you need to rest before our trainings start.” he kissed her head lovingly, his voice thick and tired. He yawned and hugged her even tighter, if possible, his calm breathing lulling Shiori in a deep and peaceful slumber.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading, please feel free to leave a comment, it would make my day! Pretty please, I need some support :3


	6. Marks

Training under the supervision of Orochimaru wasn't easy at all, at least for Shiori. As usual, Sasuke had proved himself to be the great shinobi everyone believed him to be, as his training was far more physical and tiring than Shiori's: he would fight his opponents for hours, harming them severely most of the times, and Shiori had to heal them all on the spot. In Orochimaru's eyes, this type of training was perfect, as both of his new students were faced with difficult tasks that were meant to refine both of their unique techniques: Sasuke's ocular powers and Shiori's healing abilities. Of course, the female Uchiha was also a great shinobi herself, her sharingan only second to her cousin's, but Sasuke wanted her to be more of a healer than a fighter. "You don't have to worry about any of this" or "I don't want you to get hurt because of me" were some of the motivations he kept telling her to justify his choice on the matter. Shiori knew, deep down her guts, that he only wished her to be safe, but most importantly she knew that he wouldn't allow her to fight by his side when the time came. He just needed her to heal him if things got bad.

Shiori sighed, healing what she presumed to be the hundredth ninja of that day. Healing someone required an immense amount of chakra and energy, almost as much as some S-grade jutsus. Needless to say, she was as weak as a feather by the time Orochimaru proclaimed the end of their day of training. She wiped some sweat from her forehead, collapsing on the ground with a light thud. The last ninja she had healed bowed and thanked her before reuniting with the others back in the compound; she smiled, tired but happy to see that nobody was injured because of them and their ambitions. She felt proud of herself, all those years spent being the first of her class payed off in the end: she was grateful she could master all those difficult techniques on the spot. She panted once again, the weight of such a tiring day finally heaving on her, but she soon felt a pair of dark red eyes looming over her figure.

"Are you hurt?" Sasuke's panicked voice reached her, making her smile softly at his constantly worried state when it came to her. Shiori had to suppress a moan when her soft green eyes met his: he was standing tall before her, his white low neck shirt was all dirty and hanging loosely on his torso, revealing his chiseled chest and abs to her, a thin layer of sweat on his pale skin. The warm dusk sunlight gave him a god-like glow, making her mouth water at the mere sight of his absolute perfection, even after a whole day of intense training.

"N-no, I'm just weak. Nothing to worry about." she smiled at him reassuringly, his face melting in a tender gaze and his eyes turning back to their usual dark onyx color.

"You did great. I knew you'd make me proud." he whispered, sitting right next to her on the ground, making her shift with surprise at the sudden proximity, his deep, musky scent intoxicating her immediately.

"Thanks, you did amazing too. You always do." Shiori smiled again, turning her gaze down at his large hand enveloping her much smaller one, their fingers intertwining gently. It was a sweet gesture, but it made her blush uncontrollably; she suddenly remembered his skilled fingers inside her, pumping steadily and how he lapped them clean of her juices after she came hard on them. He effected her in a way she didn't know he could, making her a shy, blushing mess just by looking at him. She wondered if he had the same thoughts she kept having after what happened just a few nights before.

He never touched her that way after.

Shiori thought he might have regretted starting all of this, and maybe he wanted to forget the events of that night. She even began thinking that her mind had played tricks on her, and that she had only dreamt all of it. But the stickiness between her thighs and his hard cock pressed against her stomach the morning after suggested her otherwise. It did happen, but for some reason Sasuke never mentioned any of it the following days.

"Very good, very good. I'm quite amazed at how strong the both of you are. But then again, what else could I expect from the wonderous Uchiha seed." her train of thought was suddenly interrupted by the serpentine voice of Orochimaru, who congratulated them both on another successful day of training. He always knew how to make her uncomfortable with the mere choice of his words.

Sasuke nodded silently, and with his hand still gripping hers he helped her getting on her feet. He didn't fail to notice how her legs trembled with fatigue, so he snaked his strong arms around her to keep her steady, pressing her against him. Orochimaru looked at the with a spark of curiosity in his amber eyes: they sure looked close, way too close judging by their body language. He could smell it in their mingled scents.

"Sasuke. May I have a word with you later? After you recuperate, naturally." he asked, a sick grin on his thin, sickly pale lips. It took Sasuke a couple of seconds to respond, considering the outcome and the nature of such request. He then nodded again, and started walking back to the hideout almost immediately, with Shiori still weakly pressed against him for support.

As soon as they reached the comfort and solitude of their chamber, Sasuke felt Shiori relax a bit more in his tight but careful hold. She was still very weak, and her delicate body was trembling like a fallen leaf: she wasn't used to such hard and consecutive trainings, but she was adjusting just perfectly. This made him very proud of her and her exquisite strength, a clear sign of her Uchiha descendance; no other girl could keep up with him like she was, he was very aware of that. He was ever so grateful for her, she was everything he could ask for and far more: her sweetness, her resilience, her abilities… Gods he was lucky.

"Can you stand?" he whispered softly, clearly concerned with her current state. He caressed her sides lovingly, hoping to sooth her tired body.

"I think so…" she smiled shyly and tried to stand by herself, reaching for the futon immediately and sitting on it under Sasuke's concerned stare.

"You shouldn't push yourself so much just to keep up with me. It's okay if you don't heal all of them, you know that right?" he crouched down before her, his hands supporting himself on the edge of the bed on her sides, making their eyes meet again.

"I can't leave them so severely harmed. You know I can recuperate my chakra very fast, I just need to rest a bit, don't worry about me…" she shook her head, her soft eyes hooded with tiredness.

A small smirk threatened to form on his lips, ever so enchanted by her willing to go all in for him. She was such an obedient and devoted girl, he knew he needed to reward her when she'd let him.

"Okay… Try and rest now, I'll go talk with the snake. I'll return soon, promise me you'll just stay here and rest until I'm back." he asked her, his calloused hand cupping the side of her flushed cheek, caressing it lovingly.

"Promise." she melted to his tender touch, closing her tired eyes and savoring the warmth of his hand on her. She missed these intimate moments.

"Good girl." he murmured, his gaze deep on her, happy to see she still embraced his contact and closeness. Happy to see she didn't regret crossing the line with him and choosing to surrender to such sinful, wrong and potentially harmful feelings.

He got up after a few more seconds, as soon as he noticed that her tender response to his touch was tickling more primal urges in him. He then kissed her forehead lightly, helping her lay on the futon to rest and leaving their room, sealing the door with a strong protective seal which soothed his mind at the idea of leaving her alone and weak in a place like that. The sooner he'll finish discussing whatever Orochimaru wanted to discuss, the sooner he'll be back to Shiori and her sweet, addictive scent.

Sasuke wandered through the maze that was Orochimaru's hideout, reaching the main throne room and finding him already waiting for his arrival. He sat on his stone chair with a satisfied grin on his face, a grin that Sasuke could not wait to punch off with the raw strength of his fists; using his powers with a creature like him was pure waist of chakra.

"I thoroughly enjoyed seeing you unleash your full potential while training here these past days, Sasuke. That sharingan of yours is truly phenomenal. But I can't help but wonder what your true motifs are." he began, his yellow eyes meeting Sasuke's unfazed, stoic ones.

"My real motifs, you say… As I told you before, Orochimaru, I'm here just because we need to become stronger. The downfall of my clan made me realize that the fair training we received was not enough to stop it from happening." Sasuke stated, his voice calm and collected. He hated repeating himself.

"I get that. But the reason behind bringing that girl with you, that's what I'm not getting. She's strong, she can definitely sustain my trainings, I can sense it. But why do you need her here if you don't intend me to train her as a fighter?" he smirked, noticing the subtle change of pace in Sasuke's pulse and a slight, tense scent of fear radiating in the thick air.

"That's none of your concern. Do you need anything else?" he tried to finish, but the snake had other plans.

"I can make you even stronger, Sasuke. I have another ace in my sleeve; A powerful juinjutsu that very few of my most skilled pupils were able to bear…" the snake proposed, eliciting a new wave of curiosity in the Uchiha boy.

"Go on." Sasuke affirmed, eager to become even stronger. He needed as much powers as he could collect, in order to keep his precious Shiori safe during the battle with his damned brother he so wanted to win.

"Very well. I'm talking about one of my very special techniques, the Curse Mark. There's a small percentage of success, but when the body reacts well with the mark, it'll give the host immense powers and abilities. I reckon it would be very useful this little quest of yours." Orochimaru grinned, knowing far too well how to manipulate Sasuke's already fragile mind.

"How small of a percentage are we talking about? Be clear with me, I've had enough of your vague speech." the Uchiha exclaimed, his hot temper getting the best of him in these situations.

"Only one of my students was ever able to sustain such tremendous power. Needless to say, it brought her far. I think you'll have no troubles healing after the bite, considering how skilled your caring cousin is." the pale man teased him, getting on his last nerve. He would make him regret talking so lightly about his Shiori, he'll make sure of it once the bastard will overstep his words.

Sasuke gritted his teeth in annoyance, the proposal far too tempting to be discarded, but at the same time it was very dangerous and stupid of him to just accept it without consideration. He needed to be sure that Shiori would be safe as he recovered from the mark, which was something he highly doubted.

"How can I trust that this will not kill me immediately? Or that you won't kill her in the meantime?" Sasuke tsk-ed, visibly annoyed at the lack of certainty in the whole matter. He was never a gambler with his life, nor he intended to put Shiori in danger because of his greediness.

"I mean no harm. Your little quest for revenge means nothing to me, but the restoration of the Uchiha Clan is something that would benefit me in many ways. I'm just offering you the services you payed for, Sasuke." The restoration… Of his clan.

After a few more moments of silence and consideration, Sasuke concluded that the offer was way to good to give up.

"Fine. I'll host your mark. You will not harm me or Shiori in the time being, and I'll make sure to compensate your service after my goal is achieved. You'll perform it as soon as she will be strong enough to help me heal from it." the Uchiha boy stated, finally walking back to his chambers.

He was more than sure that Shiori would recuperate all her energy during the night, which meant he had to grant her the sleep she deserved. He hoped to find her in a peaceful slumber upon his return, otherwise it would be hard for him to resist the urges of sheathing himself in her sweet, warm body that night, his mind was far too tense and worried, in need of any sort of relief. He opened the heavy wooden door slightly, peaking inside and noticing that she was, in fact, sound asleep. Her delicate figure was resting lightly on the thin futon, tiny puffs of air signaling the blissed state of being asleep and safe. He loved how soft and fluffy her hair looked, messy across the pillows: Gods, how he wished to grab handfuls of it as she pleasured him with all her body and soul.

Sasuke felt a wave of buzzing desire going straight to his loins, making it difficult for him to think straight. He denied himself release for way too long, hoping to share it with her, but the past few days were filled with their training and the consequential tiredness that followed them both after they reached their bed. He was so sensitive now, he felt like he was about to explode. He quietly crossed the room, reaching the small bathroom and closing the door behind him: he really needed to take care of the situation in order to be able to focus and sleep beside her without having wet dreams, like when he was a child and didn't know how his body and mind worked. He quickly removed his loosened cord belt and pants, noticing how stiff his cock was and how it was already leaking from the slit. He spit in his hand, mimicking the wet and welcoming tightness of her cunt he remembered so vividly, and grabbed the base of his angry and solid erection, pumping it slowly and gently a couple of times. A soft grunt escaped him as he reached the tip, grazing the sensitive flesh ever-so-slightly with his fingernails. He thought about her as he massaged himself more roughly now, concentrating his grip around his oozing tip and at the base, pleasuring himself wildly as he remembered how tight she felt on his fingers, how gently she moaned and how her eyes rolled back with pleasure as she came hard on his digits, gripping them like a vice. He knew she would take his cock so beautifully. A few more grunts and pumps were all it took for him to cum profusely in his hand and on his stomach, a low rumble in his chest echoed in the small bathroom with each and every spurt of his seed, until he was completely spent and milked of all his worth. He was panting deeply, his dark hair was sticking on his forehead as he peaked down at the mess he'd made, grunting as he kept stroking himself slightly and lazily as the last waves of his bliss accompanied him until he finally reached overstimulation, and was forced to stop. His mind was still racing wildly at the thoughts of Shiori moaning under him, but her felt calmer and much more willing to wait for her final judgement, before he could finally take everything she was willing to give him, and what was truly his.


	7. Loneliness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello guys! I'm back with another chapter of this fic :) I'm so glad you guys are liking the story so far, I really cherish each and everyone of your comments and suggestions! This chapter (and the next one too) is a bit sad and angsty, especially for Shiori, so please let me know what you think about it in your reviews; I'm not entirely satisfied with it, I tried to rewrite it a couple of times but nothing better came out so I'm really sorry if it's a bit disappointing :( I'll make sure to deliver better chapters later on, I hope it's not too unbearable to read though... Please let me know what you think about the story later! Thank you guys so much, your support makes me super happy and it really helps me go on with this fic :)

When Shiori woke up the following morning, she felt like her body was made out of jelly. Her arms and legs were extremely sore from the previous training session, but she still felt well rested and ready to start her day. Her chakra had definitely stabilised throughout the night, as she had finally managed to sleep like a log.

She stretched lazily, her body was still trying to adjust to the extreme thinness of the tattered futon they were forced to share, and that's when she was suddenly aware of a pair of strong arms enveloping her, keeping her safe and warm during the cold winter night. She smiled involuntarily, admitting to herself that no, she wouldn't trade this feeling for nothing in the world, ever. Sasuke was still sleeping soundly next to her, his regular breath and peaceful expression making her melt instantly. It was in those rare moments that Shiori realised how lucky she really was: seeing him in such blissful and intimate way was a privilege, and she was the only one who could cherish all of these memories. She carefully brushed back a stray strand of his dark hair, which was covering his closed eyes: they looked so sweet, with no traces of his usual unfazed and distant expression.

She smiled bitterly as memories of a not so distant past flooded her mind, a past in which they were much happier but not as close as they were right now, and their eyes were always filled with sparks of happiness and childish bliss. Shiori wondered briefly at how things would've turned out for them if their Clan was never slaughtered; would they still be this close? Or was all of this a sad, delusional façade they created just to feel like they belonged somewhere? As long as she could remember, Sasuke was always really fond of her. Even as a child he would stand up for her when no one else would, making her feel less guilty about being such a shy little girl. They had many cousins, but she couldn't really recall any of them being as close as she was with him, even during their better days. Maybe they would have figured out these feelings either way, somehow. She cursed herself for thinking that, maybe, the absence of their Clan was making it easier for the two of them to express their true feelings.

Her train of thought was suddenly interrupted by a subtle shift of Sasuke's arms, which tightened against her chest and pulled her even closer to his body. She heard him murmur something incomprehensible, but it sounded much like her name. His eyelids began to flutter, revealing two dark pools of onyx, so deep Shiori thought she would eventually drown in them someday, loosing herself in their absolute and complete blackness. Black met green once again, two pairs of eyes so different but so similar at the same time; a tinge of everlasting sadness and loss very much visible in both of their gazes.

"Hello…" Shiori greeted him with a soft and gentle whisper, completely entranced by the sweetness of his early-morning face. He yawned and rubbed his eyes lazily, and soon his head dove to her neck, nuzzling in the warmth of her embrace once again.

"You're so warm..." he murmured, her cheeks dusting with a rosy glow. She chuckled softly at the sudden contact, caressing his messy bed hair as she felt his lips pressed lightly on her sensitive skin.

"Why didn't you wake me up yesterday?" she asked, genuinely curious about the little talk he had with Orochimaru the previous night. She tried to distance herself just to look at him in the eyes, but he refused to move away from the cozy embrace.

"Because you deserved some rest. Let's stay like this a little longer, please…" he answered lazily, his forehead still resting in the crook of her neck, her sugary scent so addictive to him.

Shiori didn't reply. Instead, she started caressing his messy hair lovingly once again, her gentle rubs granting her a few satisfied groans from his still sleepy form, clear signals that he was enjoying her tender touch. It was all so... familiar to her, a fuzzy feeling enveloping her as she cherished the warmth of his solid body on hers, his scent, and his affection for as long as he wanted.

"Are you feeling fine? How's your chakra?" he asked her, his voice muffled as he began kissing the soft and sensitive skin of her neck, making her shiver.

"I-I'm fine now. I recovered just fine…" she tried to sound unfazed, but the sloppy kisses he was leaving all over her neck and shoulder was starting to affect her.

"Good. I'll need your assistance soon, and your healing powers." he finished as he kissed her on her jawline and looked her in the eyes, noticing how they filled with worry almost immediately.

"What? Why would you need my healing?" Shiori pushed herself up with her elbows, trying to distance herself from his inebriating ministrations. She needed to understand what he was implying, and his wet kisses were fogging up her mind.

He looked up at her, his chin resting on her chest as she felt her body tense up against his.

"He proposed me something yesterday. And I accepted."

"What are you talking about, Sasuke?"

"Curse marks. He can brand me to grant me more powers. Incredible powers that we need, he just needs to put his seal on me. I should adjust to his venom just fine, but I'll need your help if things don't turn out the way I predicted. You can do this for me, right?" he confessed, his serious eyes never leaving her worried ones.

"V-Venom? Are you crazy? How could you accept something so dangerous without discussing it with me first?" she was almost shouting now, the idea of him putting his life at risk just for some mere powers was making her furious.

"It'll heal just fine, I'm sure. He promised me he won't hurt us while I'll recover. You just have to stay by my side and seal this door with that protective jutsu I taught you back in Konoha."

"How can you be so selfish!?"

"Selfish? I'm doing this for the both of us, Shiori. This will turn out to be extremely helpful against Itachi, he doesn't suspect we're training with one of the three sannin." his tone was more severe now, angry at the fact that she failed to notice how all of this was a huge demonstration of all his love for her and their future.

"It's too dangerous though! I get that you're trying to get stronger just to provide for the both of us, but I don't see the point of risking your life like this. You are so strong already… Our sharingans combined will definitely be enough… I-I'm sure…" her voice began to tremble, the toll of his request scaring her to death. Mainly because she knew she couldn't change his mind about it.

Sasuke grasped her shaky hands in his, kissing her palms lovingly. He knew how much she cared for him and his wellbeing, but she needed to trust him. This was all for the better. He was sure of it.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Shiori followed Sasuke's lead through the whole hideout, up until they reached Orochimaru's throne after a bit of wandering. The pale serpent was already waiting for their arrival, it seemed like he always knew where they were at every instant. He smiled at the two Uchihas, a sick grin full of madness and perversion that made her skin crawl with disgust.

"Shall we begin, then?" the snake began, his hands clapping with a sort of excitement about the whole ordeal. Shiori looked at Sasuke, but his eyes were fixed on the man standing before them. He nodded in agreement, not a single expression crossing his solemn gaze.

"Very well. And you're going to take care of him, right Shiori?" he asked her, quizzically. She nodded too, unable to speak because of how tense she was.

"Good. You're a lucky guy, Sasuke. She's very fit for her role."

"Shut up. Enough with the talking, Orochimaru." Sasuke exclaimed, removing his dark coat and tossing it to his side, where Shiori was quick enough to catch it.

Orochimaru said nothing; instead, his face started contorting into something much more alarming and disgusting than his original one: the usual yellow irises of his eyes became smaller, enveloped by a dark sclera, and his mouth widened with a few rows of sharp teeth. He resembled a deformed, somewhat fake snake.

"So this is your true form, uh?" Sasuke commented sarcastically, not too fazed by his sudden mutation. Shiori, on the other hand, was thoroughly disgusted and worried, as the power and darkness of his already dangerous chakra had risen up alarmingly.

"Be careful, Sasuke." She tried to inform him, noticing how his typical grin was plastered on his face. He was always up for a good fight, but that was not the ideal time to put himself and his precious cousin in danger.

"Don't worry about me. Keep a safe distance, go." he instructed her, pushing her away from him and behind one of the many stone pillars that supported the ceiling.

Shiori obeyed, shielding herself behind the pillar with her eyes full of hesitation and doubts. She observed Orochimaru and his body language, admitting he was stronger than she had originally imagined. His neck was now much longer, ready to pounce at any moment. The fact that Sasuke wasn't showing any signs of bewilderment was good, she thought: he was probably used to much more intimidating opponents.

Suddenly, Orochimaru's neck elongated as far as it could, reaching Sasuke without even moving an inch from his original position. His large head nestled in the crook of his neck, making his gasp with surprise at the sudden sharp pain of fangs piercing his pale skin. The snake retracted immediately, his puncture bleeding and dirtying Sasuke's white tunic with a big crimson stain almost immediately. Shiori heard his cousin groan, pain clearly visible on his frowning face. She observed, full of terror, as he fell on his knees with a loud thud, grasping his neck with shaky hands and screaming like a wounded animal. She immediately ran towards his trembling body uncaring of the danger she could face, hugging him and keeping him as close as she could, whispering sweet nothings in his ear while she stroked his back, hoping to soothe his pain. He looked at her in the eyes, his forehead damp with sweat and his hair messy: his eyes screamed more than a thousand words, excruciating agony clear in his features. Shiori removed his hand from his fresh wound, noticing how the puncture bites were already disappearing on his skin; instead, she watched as a weird black mark formed on the same spot on his neck, a strange looking circle with three tomoe signs, just like the ones on their sharingan eyes. She jumped as a particularly strong groan emitted from the boy, the immense discomfort making him pass out on her legs.

"Sasuke!" she screamed, her hands cupping his drenched face immediately as she panicked. He was scorching hot, and she could sense the flame of his chakra getting considerably weaker and weaker as time passed.

"What did you do to him?!" she turned back to face Orochimaru, her eyes full of tears and anger.

"He needs to rest. His body needs to adjust to my venom, it may take a while. I suggest you to help, your healing abilities should fasten the process up." he commented, turning back to his previous form as he sat nonchalantly on his throne.

Shiori snarled at him, unsatisfied with his answer. She grabbed Sasuke by his arm, lifting his limp body from the stone floor; damn, he was heavy. She secured his frame to hers with some difficulties, hooking his arm across her shoulders and lifting him the best way she could. He was much heavier and denser than her, but she managed to grab him safely; when she was satisfied with her work, she proceeded walking away from the humid room, back into the dark maze of corridors that led to the chambers. Shiori panicked again, his breathing was fast bus shallow, and by the time she reached their room he was groaning in pain once again. Her hands trembled as she closed the heavy door behind her, casting the difficult protective jutsu that Sasuke had taught her many moons before, her eyes never leaving his form on the bed. As soon as she was able to make her hands work again, she casted the jutsu, sealing the door from the inside with a strong and protective barrier.

"I told you this was too dangerous… why don't you ever listen to me…" Shiori cried as she crouched next to the futon, taking his weak hand in hers; she closed her glazed eyes, concentrating her mind in finding his inner chakra and with some difficulties, she was able to find a feeble trace of it still present in his scarily lifeless body.

Shiori's tiny hands made a quick work of his bloody tunic, tossing it to the floor alongside his heavy, tattered pants. His body was shaking because of his high fever, so she prepared a bucket of fresh water and some towels to keep next to her for the time being. She cleaned off the dry blood on his body, the puncture holes on his neck and his new mark, leaving a fresh wet towel on his forehead and neck. Her eyes wandered to his muscular chest, noticing how a few scars (some fresher than others) adorned his pale skin, disturbing the immaculateness of his body, but at the same time they told her many stories and reminded her of many memories from his past. Like the one on his lower abs, for example: she remembered clearly how flustered she was as she mended him for the first time in her life, after he picked a fight with a boy of her class for making her cry and telling her she was never going to make it as a ninja after her Clan's downfall. The boy had managed to surprise him with a shuriken that slashed right across his lower tummy; it took her weeks to heal it, and the scar was all crooked and scabby because she wasn't as skilled with her healing powers as she was now, but she managed to mend it just fine. Needless to say, Sasuke had no mercy for the guy either, as he left many more "memories" on his face and body too.

Tears were now streaming down her face unstoppably, but her eyes remained focused as she finished cleaning his body from all the dirt and blood that had collected on his bruised chest. Satisfied with her work, she placed her shaky hands on his solid pecks and closed her eyes with a new determination. Her eyebrows frowned as she concentrated all her chakra in her hands, the thoughts that clouded her fragile mind were now dissipating, leaving her able to fully dedicate her energies on the advanced and intricate jutsu that was the mystical palm technique. Pale green waves of chakra collected in her hands almost immediately, a pleasurable warmth radiating from them as she pressed her hands firmly on Sasuke's chest. She opened her pale green eyes, and watched as waves of pure healing energy flowed into his body smoothly, signaling that he was collecting her chakra just fine, almost greedily and without signs of rejection. She admitted to herself that she was in fact grateful for Orochimaru's trainings, because thanks to the previous days of exhausting and unceasing exercises she felt much stronger and confident with her powers and capabilities.

Time passed, and Shiori felt progressively weaker as Sasuke milked her of all her energies, but she felt forever grateful and happy for how avidly and quickly he was trying to recover. He greedily received all she was willing to gift him with for hours, uninterrupted, up until she felt herself collapsing down on him. Shiori removed her hands from his chest, massaging her sore palms and noticing how his fever had gone down exponentially. His breathing was also much calmer and almost normal now, which was good. She rested her tired head on his solid chest, happy to hear his heart beating fast and healthily; she wondered if he was able to feel her close to him, feel how much she cared for him and how devoted she was. Her chakra was a precious gift she was more than willing to give him, forever, until he had enough; he had accepted it wholeheartedly, as his body didn't reject it like some other men did in the previous trainings.

Shiori left a small and chaste kiss on his abs as she crossed her arms on him protectively, resting a bit until her chakra would eventually regenerate for yet another round. Her mind drifted off encouraged by the sound of his pumping heart under her, hoping to wake up to his soft smile soon.


	8. Recovery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! I'm back for the weekly update :) I must thank you all so much for your kind support and for keeping up with my little story, I can't thank you enough :'( Seeing that you're enjoying my story and how I'm developing the characters means the world to me! I've been receiving many comments saying that Shiori is cute and tender, I'm really glad you like my OC! I was never really a fan of Sakura, so I decided to give Sasuke a companion I found much more fitting for his whole character! :)
> 
> In this chapter I delved more into Shiori's perspective of dealing with an unconscious Sasuke and the hopelessness that follows being alone after everything that had happened to them, I really hope you'll like it! There are some mentions of scars and self inflicted wounds, so please if the subject is triggering for you read at your own risk! It's nothing bad, I just wrote about healing bites. Please let me know what you think of it in the comments <3

Healing. Resting. Healing. Resting.

Shiori had been stuck up in this horrible cycle for well over two days now, unable to see the end of the tunnel. Sasuke’s conditions had stabilized, but he never emerged from the deep slumber he was forced in after the bite. Orochimaru told her that yes, it might take a while for his body to heal, but this slow rhythm was starting to concern her, even more if possible. Her chakra was even beginning to regenerate slowly, as she didn’t had anything to eat for the past days, but she believed in her body and in her intense devotion for him; her body would never betray her, not now. 

The night was rapidly approaching upon them, and she was getting herself ready for another round of healing while her body recuperated at least some minimum amount of energy before starting again. She washed herself lazily and wrapped herself up in Sasuke’s clothing before approaching the dirty futon, his still body resting lifelessly on top of it. There was some progress, though: his fever never came back and the infection of his mark stopped throbbing, but nothing more than that. She sighed, her usually bright eyes were now rimmed with dark circles and hooded with insomnia, but she loved him too much to give up on him. She knew he trusted her wholly, and she wasn’t one to disappoint. Ever. 

She gritted her teeth and massaged her sore palms, placing them on Sasuke’s broad chest once again. Just when she was about to start the usual healing process, a sudden but brilliant idea crossed her tired mind like a lightning. She suddenly recalled a strange technique, a difficult and precise one indeed, but she remembered how her teacher told her about the immense and immediate results of such practice. Shiori remembered only reading about it once or twice in her textbooks, but she recalled everything perfectly. 

Heal bites. 

The technique itself wasn’t that well seen upon healing nins, as it was considered to be way too risky and almost medieval compared to much safer and ethical ways of healing someone without having them biting down on you. Moreover, they left permanent marks and traces on the healer’s body, which was something no one really wanted. But Shiori saw nothing bad in such things, considering that Sasuke had agreed on marking his body just to protect her in the future; she was more than willing to have such marks too, if that meant having him recover fast and safely. Heal bites were an advanced technique mainly because of the extreme amount of chakra that such contact would draw from the healer, but that was exactly what Shiori wanted: extreme amounts of her chakra flowing into Sasuke’s body, helping him and his state as fast as possible. 

Shiori rolled the sleeves of the tunic, securing them tightly over her elbows. She followed her intuition, and opened his slack mouth gently, inserting one of her small wrists in it up until she felt his sharp canines caress her skin delicately. His bite would hurt her, but she was willing to experience it over and over again until he’d be strong enough to hold her like he used to. She closed her eyes tightly in concentration, sending her chakra down her arms and hands, where a green fire collected almost immediately; she braced herself one last time before closing Sasuke’s mouth by pushing up his jaw until she felt his teeth piercing through her gentle, porcelain-like skin. The pleasurable warmth of her chakra was distracting her from the sharp bite and the sensation of her fluids leaving her body, draining her from the inside. She smiled through the last moments of pain, happy that his body was cooperating with her and that her idea seemed to actually be working. Needless to say, she immediately observed that her chakra flame was draining much faster than usual: this technique was definitely stronger than a normal healing session. When she thought it was enough, she retracted her small wrist from his mouth, bandaged the newly inflicted wound with some clean towels, and proceeded with doing the exact same thing with her other wrist. 

It was going to be a long night.

____________________________________________________________________

Shiori couldn’t exactly pinpoint the precise moment she collapsed on Sasuke that night, completely drained of all her energies and will to continue. Her arms were completely bruised and sore from all the bite marks she was sporting over them; she totally lost count of how many times she performed the exhausting technique that same night, which was probably not smart of her. The futon was now completely drenched with her blood and his sweat, but she couldn’t care less; he was the only priority in her mind, and upon seeing his rested face she forced herself to continue working on getting him back on his feet. The small break her body forced her to take had helped her regain some sort of fire within her mind and soul, so she removed the dirty towel that protected her arm’s wounds and performed the heal bite one last time. Her tired, hooded eyes followed her chakra up until it reached Sasuke’s teeth, merging into his body like a part of his own. 

Nothing happened, again.

“Damn you, Sasuke! I told you this was too dangerous!” she groaned angrily, her frustration taking the best of her, as she aimlessly hit his chest in defeat. Quiet sobs started leaving her tired form, the idea of him never coming back was too clear in her mind now. It has been days, and she had barely noticed any progress at all. She tried everything she could, and had no more tricks up her sleeve.

“I knew we should have never left Konoha! I was happy there, we were both happy! Look at us now!” she continued, crying her eyes out at the memory. She knew she could have made things right for them back there too, they just needed to move on with their lives, but he was way too stubborn to even let her try. She cursed at herself for being too submissive, her will way to weak to oppose him and his demands. Shiori continued sobbing, her head pressed firmly against his chest: the only thing keeping her sane was the steady pumping of his heart.

“W-What about… us now?” 

Her eyes widened at the sound of his unfamiliarly weak voice reaching her ears, thinking that her mind was playing tricks on her tired state. But then she heard him cough, again and again, his chest roaring with life and making her shudder as she rose to look at him in the eyes, disbelief written all over her pale, worn out face. Shiori removed herself from his tired body, grasping his hand in hers almost immediately as tears began pooling in her eyes once more.

She said nothing, unable to formulate even the simplest of statements, but instead decided to hug the only person she cared about more than she cared about herself; he was alive, and safe, on the road towards complete healing. Pride swelled in her chest, she managed to bring him back. 

“Shiori. Look at me.” he whispered once again, holding her face and making her rise her chin up with his tender finger until their gazes met.

Her clear green eyes met his dark, obsidian pools once again, both pairs extremely tired for very different reasons. She gasped, noticing a myriad of tiny black marks spreading all over his otherwise perfect skin; they weren’t there before, and she was more than positive of that! Her eyes followed their traces up until they reached his now blazing curse mark, which was now red and menacing. Just like his eyes.

“Sa-Sasuke..?” she tried to pry her face away from his strong hold, but his hands cupped her chin and kept her gaze steadily fixed on his.

“You look tired. How long was I out?” he asked, his finger tracing her chapped lips.

“A couple of days… But- are you hurting?” she responded, successfully removing her face from his tight grasp and analyzing his body and those weird marks, something she’d never seen before.

“No. Quite the contrary… I feel great. I feel powerful.” a weird grin appeared on his face, his eyes full of something Shiori couldn’t really place. 

“Y-you should rest. I’ll heal you one last time, just to be sure.” she whispered as her eyes looked down, his gaze too different and uncomfortable for her to reciprocate. Mindlessly, her hands ghosted over her bruised arms, covering them as best as she could under the long sleeves of her tunic. 

He watched her curiously as she placed her tiny, tiny hands on his pecks, welcoming the steady contact and warmth. Looking up, he noticed how her puffy, dark rimmed eyes closed in concentration, how she trembled slightly and how her chakra flowed from her body to his in thick, pleasurable waves. Everything about her made him feel invigorated. His mind was once again clouded by the primal need to bend her and ruin her, but this time he felt everything tenfold; weird and wild thoughts raced in his head, making it difficult for him to keep still. As soon as he felt the last drop of her chakra flowing through him, he grabbed her roughly by her arms, closing the distance between their lips and making her yelp in surprise.

He tasted her and her blood, her chapped lips didn’t move as he showed her all his gratitude and desire, which was making him quite disappointed. He groaned in frustration, his teeth bit down her lips so that she would finally give in and accept him and his ministrations. As predicted, she opened her mouth to protest and he used it as an opportunity to deepen the kiss, forcing her into the rhythm he pleased. 

“Sasuke… Let me go, you’re not thinking straight…” she managed to say between his harsh kisses, deciding to distance herself when she noticed he didn’t care to hear what she was telling him. She frowned, seeing the dark marks on his skin multiplying alarmingly. 

He was furious at her rejection. He fought days and days with his darkest demons in complete darkness, just to come back to her, and now she was treating him like he meant nothing. He felt a fire burning inside him, a fire only her could help him sedate. And she wasn’t willing to assist him; with these thoughts clear in his mind, he sat up on the futon and yanked her closer by her arm once again, but a loud scream escaped her lips at the rough touch, scaring him. He didn’t want to hurt her; he just wanted her to give in mainly because he knew she had accepted all of this before. But hearing her cry in pain made him jolt in his seat, immediately leaning in and holding her as she rubbed her covered arm.

“What’s wrong?!” he panicked, her crying never stopping. He looked down at her arms, where he saw tiny splotches of blood becoming visible on her white tunic. Sasuke frowned immediately, and upon looking beside him he noticed how mudded the futon really was, his vision filling with images of blood stains everywhere. 

“What did you do? Shiori!” he needed his answers, a mix of anger and worry making his voice shake at the thought of her hurting herself in any way. Especially because of him. 

“I helped you! You would have never survived it otherwise, and I did everything I could to help you.” she answered, frustration clear on her face as she clutched her arms tightly at her chest.

“Let me see your arms, now.” he demanded, his voice stoic and uncaring. He noticed how she twitched, her mouth opened to protest, but closed immediately after. She knew that her resistance wouldn’t help her in this situation.

“Shiori.” Sasuke insisted, his tone harsh and empty.

Shiori hesitated for a moment. She knew how much he would disagree with her actions, knowing far too well how much he hated being the cause of her suffering. The fact was, she was not suffering because of his bites, but because of this rough behavior. She braced herself and offered him her arms to inspect, turning her face away from his harsh glare. She felt his hurried hands reveal her bruised skin and waited for his judgement in silence. 

Sasuke wanted to smash something so badly. The fire in his body grew bigger and bigger as he watched her broken and bruised skin, his teeth markings surrounded by ugly, purplish bruises. They all looked so wrong on her porcelain skin; he was just fuming. She sported many traces on both of her arms, from her wrists up to her shoulders, some fresher and brighter than others. 

“Explain yourself.” he tried to remain calm and collected, leaving her some time to at least explain her reasonings for ruining her beautiful body like this. He remembered hearing about this healing jutsu, but never really saw its effects in person. Needless to say, he hated it. 

“There’s nothing to explain. It’s a faster way to give bigger amounts of chakra, and you needed every last drop you could get. I don’t care about the marks, they’ll go away. And even if they don’t, I did it to help you recover. I don’t care if you don’t understand.” She responded unfazed, her hooded eyes finally meeting his onyx ones. She noticed how the black speckles on his skin started retracting back into the main mark on his neck, and slowly but surely, his skin turned back into its normal pureness. 

Sasuke said nothing. He wasn’t expecting her to be so attached to him, not in the slightest. This was a big deal to him, hearing her motivations made him realized how much he loved her and that stubborn head of hers. She was so selfless, always ready to give away everything she could to make him happy. His head lowered, his forehead resting on her arms as he kissed and lapped each and every one of those marks, those clear demonstrations of her love, hoping to soothe her pain and mind. It must have been tough for her, too. 

Shiori blushed heavily. The slight drag of his lips on her wounds was not uncomfortable, but it made her flinch with embarrassment. She didn’t think he would acknowledge her so rapidly and so fondly, but she was grateful.

“You don’t have to do this… They’ll go away by themselves just fine…” she tried to push away his head gently, feeling him resist immediately as he continued his meticulous job, kissing every mark he could find until he reached the last ones, up on her shoulders. 

“I’m sorry. You didn’t have to go this far, but I appreciate it. I really do.” he looked up at her through hooded eyes, his intense gaze making her shiver.

“You do this and more for me, it’s the least I could do… I’m just glad it worked.” she mumbled, retracting her arms shyly and covering them back with her tunic. 

He wanted to tell her that he loved her with the intensity of a thousand Suns, that he wanted to repay her with all his life, and that he intended to share every moment of his life with her, but he couldn’t find the right words to do it. He wasn’t about to confess his deepest feelings, his love, in in a place like that. 

“We’ll need to ask for a new room, I don’t want to stay in here.” Shiori confessed, making him concerned with how these memories were going to affect her.

“Of course. But we won’t be here much longer, I promise. Just bear with me until I feel better, and I’ll make things right…” he confessed vaguely, his plan was slowly coming into vision and turning into reality. 

She nodded softly, leaning in to kiss him right, expressing all her feelings in a tender but desperate kiss. All her worries melted away as soon as she felt his lips playing with hers gently, the previous roughness of his touch replaced with intense care and sweet pecking. She concluded that, maybe, those weird and unfamiliar marks on his body were to be blamed for his previous rawness. Shiori came to the conclusion that she enjoyed his sweet side much more, because it was the side of him he rarely showed to anyone else but her.


	9. Promises

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello guys! So I'm back again with another chapter of Restoration :) 
> 
> First of all, I'd like to thank everybody who commented and reviewed the story up until now, you guys are the best <3 Your sweet words motivate me so much, so thank you all from the bottom of my heart for liking the story & suggesting me how to go on with it! T-T
> 
> So, I threw a little bit of smut in this chapter hehe, it's just a taste because I wasn't really sure if I wanted the "real deal" to happen just yet, I'll try and make my mind up eventually, so I'd really appreciate your advises on the matter! Also, I'm getting busier and busier because it's exam season here, and I have two exams to prepare so I'm not really sure of how frequently I'll be able to update and write some more chapters, I hope this final session ends soon T-T please be patient with me, I'll update as frequently as I can! <3
> 
> Thank you again guys, I hope you'll like this kinda steamy chapter and please let me know your thoughts and opinions on the smut in the comments!! ILY!

A new surge of tremendous power developed within Sasuke as the days went by. After his awakening, which was just a few days prior, he kept noticing small but drastic changes in his body and skills: he could fight against a higher number of ninjas with no effort at all, thanks to the activation of his Curse Mark, and his overall stamina was considerably higher. He learned how to activate the mark only when he needed it the most, which was something Orochimaru didn't know was possible: the snake had only witnessed a handful of successfully branded students, but Sasuke was by far the most skilled one. He didn't submit to its power at all, and instead he quickly learned how to control its urges and the ferocious thirst for blood that came with it. It was quite disappointing for Orochimaru, who had hoped to finally drag the Uchiha boy under his full control. Sasuke had been training under his supervision for the whole day, and didn't loose control once; yes, his body drastically changed while the Mark was activated and his chakra lowered considerably, but Orochimaru couldn't sense nothing out of the ordinary in his chakra.

On the other hand, Sasuke felt wonderful. His body felt reinvigorated and strong, all his abilities were amplified by tenfold while his body submitted to the mark. He knew he had made the right choice when he agreed to this, his body and gut feelings would never betray him. He also owed everything to Shiori: her healing was the only thing that helped him awaken from those horrible and endless nightmares he experienced while recovering from the bite. His mind wandered to her, as he finished his training for the day and cleaned his katana clean from all the blood that had collected on it throughout the day. After his recovery he noticed how she would distance herself from him with each passing day: it started with small things, like turning her face away from him as he tried to kiss her, or sleeping on the edge of the futon far away from his hold, but what really concerned him was the fact that she had refused to train with him that day. She had told him that she was tired, and that she needed some rest, but Sasuke could read right through her and he knew something was up. These dreadful thoughts had accompanied him throughout the whole day, the idea of losing her so clear in his mind that he couldn't concentrate properly any longer. Flashes of her sad green eyes kept creeping up in his mind, making him furious. He couldn't stand the idea of her being so down because of him.

"I'm done for today. I'll go back now." Sasuke informed his teacher, his Curse Mark deactivating as he spoke and walked back into the familiar dungeon. Orochimaru nodded with a tinge of curiosity in his yellow eyes, not failing to see how worried and tense he had been the whole day.

He walked slowly into the dungeon, the frigid night breeze and the anticipation of seeing her again making his skin shiver with a sharp, tantalizing pleasure. He would be a fool to deny that he didn't miss her attention, or her gentle touch on his skin, so he decided to finally discuss with her about her thoughts and preoccupations, or whatever it was that was afflicting her these past days: he wanted to listen, help her, or simply remind her that he cared for her and her emotions deeply. Sasuke finally reached the door to their room, lost in his thoughts and not aware of his surroundings, his mind occupied with deep preoccupations about the current fragile state of their relationship; he prided himself to be a calm and collected guy, but everything changed when it came to her. Shiori turned his world upside down, she stripped him off of all his self-control and made him extremely vulnerable. He really loved the girl; she was a priority to him and the idea of her distancing herself from him was making Sasuke loose his mind. He gripped the heavy wooden door tightly, hesitating for a moment at first, but he then pushed it slowly, hoping to find her awake and eager to greet him like she used to.

Shiori was resting soundly on the futon when she heard the door creak behind her; she had managed to steal a new and clean mattress from another room the previous day, after she decided to burn their old, dirty one with her fire jutsu; she had forgot how nice it was to finally relax and rest on a fresh bed, so she was deeply cherishing the comforting sensation up until her body tensed up with the realization of his arrival. Lately, she found herself concerned about some weird changes in his behavior, for example he had become rougher and much more restless with her, much more demanding if possible, leaving her little to no time to recuperate after the exhausting experience that had kept her busy for days unending. Her arms were still extremely sore and bruised with his teeth markings, her chakra was extremely low, and she found herself unable to heal his opponents the previous day, which made her spiral down a terribly dark mindset. Shiori decided to finally listen to her body and allow herself the time she needed to fully recover both physically and mentally. She felt the mattress sink under his weight, as he sat next to her on the futon and sighed, probably at the lack of motion from her seemingly asleep figure; Shiori gritted her teeth, not able to keep a straight face hearing how frustrated he was after a whole day of training, so she decided to turn and faced his surprised eyes.

"I'm sorry, did I wake you?" he asked immediately, his eyes full of sorrow and worry. Shiori smiled softly and shook her head timidly.

"No, I was just resting. I can't sleep." she admitted, her voice laced with tinges of tiredness and weakness.

"How are you feeling?" Sasuke asked again, worried about her but lowkey glad to find her still awake, which meant they could spend some time together and talk themselves to sleep next to each other. Finally.

"I'm okay, my chakra is collecting quite slowly though. I'm not used to it, it's weird." she sat next to him, her face at eye level with his now. Sasuke noticed how her usually bright eyes were now spent, filled with preoccupation. He would gladly give her all his chakra if he was able to heal her, but he found himself useless and unable to soothe her mind and body. Healing someone required great amounts of energy, skills and compassion; a healer was as powerful as a fighter, if not more.

"And your arms?" he questioned with a low voice, guilt flooding his mind as he watched down between their bodies, until his gaze reached her pale, covered arms. He knew what was lying underneath those layers and felt extremely at fault for it.

"They're okay, thanks… It looks way worse than what it is, really. It's not painful anymore, I just need some time to heal, my body is reacting quite slowly but I'm sure it's normal." she smiled shyly, aimlessly rubbing her wrists and arms as soon as Sasuke opened the topic. She felt somewhat embarrassed about it, knowing how much he hated those marks that were now part of her, for a while at least; she feared he would find her ugly, or less attractive because of them.

"Don't worry about it. Healing me must have taken quite a toll on you, you shouldn't rush yourself or your body. But it's not your body I'm worried about, Shiori. I know it's strong. It's your thoughts that worry me." he confessed, his hand grasping hers, massaging her knuckles and her wrists tenderly with his gentle fingers, hoping to make her relax a bit.

"W-What do you mean?" she whispered, even if she fully understood what he was referring to.

"I'm talking about this weird tension between us. You've been acting cold ever since he bit me, and I don't understand why. Are you regretting any of this? Of us?" Sasuke whispered, his face blushing lightly as he finally addressed what had been troubling his mind lately.

"Sasuke… I don't regret anything, never think I do, please. It's just that… You're acting different, after the mark. Your chakra is always threatening, I can't understand why but I feel like you're much… Harsher." Shiori couldn't keep her eyes fixed on his dark ones as she told him what was anguishing her, fearing that this would make him angry.

"Harsher? I haven't laid a finger on you since that night. You won't let me, and I respect that. I just want to know why, I thought you liked… This." he gestured between the two of them, referring to their closeness and proximity. Their relationship. His fingers tightened against her hand, stroking it a bit rougher as he tried to make her remember what he was able to make her feel.

"I do. I'm not talking about that night… I really liked your touch… I'm just trying to understand what that mark is doing to you, I can feel some changes in you and I'm not sure I like how you behave when that thing is effecting you." Shiori admitted, a deep blush dusting her rosy cheeks as she remembered how roughly and forcefully he had grabbed and kissed her when he woke up from his deep slumber. She didn't really like that Sasuke, the one with angry red eyes and black markings all over his body; she was able to witness him in that state a handful of times during the past days, mainly during his trainings, and she concluded that she was somewhat scared of him.

"I can handle it, though. I won't let it affect me when I'm with you, I promise." he exclaimed, almost desperately, as he brought her hands to his lips and kissed it softly, his eyes closed as the desire to feel her close pervaded his mind. He missed her deeply. He smiled when she cupper his face lovingly, a soft smile plastered on her beautiful, tired face.

"I trust you, then. I'm glad you can." she whispered, almost motherlike, smiling softly as he rested and rubbed his face against her hand, trying to get as much contact from such a simple gesture as he could.

"And I'm glad you haven't changed your mind about all of this. I thought I was going to explode just thinking about it, about losing you. You're everything I have." Sasuke confessed, his body leaning closer and closer to hers, the urge of feeling her warmth too desperate to be ignored now.

Shiori smiled softly as she felt his lips pressing against hers timidly, almost unsurely. He was testing the waters, afraid to ruin everything again only because of his stupid desires. But the acknowledgement of her devotion urged him to kiss her and follow his body's lead, unfazed by the consequences. He lapped her lips tenderly at first, but began pecking them harder and harder as soon as he heard a faint breathy moan getting caught in her throat; she was now responding to his kiss, her mouth opened to let him roam inside freely and as roughly as he wanted. A sharp and tingling sensation cursed though her body as she finally noticed how much she really missed him and his touch. His sloppy kisses, his strong scent and his fingers pressed tightly against hers… Everything about him was making Shiori shiver with anticipation.

"I missed you…" she confessed, her words muffled by his fervent kisses but she still managed to say it, making him smile as he tugged her bottom lip with his teeth playfully. This was all the encouragement he needed to finally let go of all his preoccupations and worries; he grabbed her by her arms, careful not to hurt her in any way, and dragged her with him as he sat on the futon with her smaller frame on his lap, never breaking the desperate kiss.

"I missed you too… You smell so good..." he whispered as he inhaled deeply, his kiss moving from her lips to the sensitive skin of her shoulders and neck, his head resting eagerly in that sacred place. He hummed, feeling her tug at his hair lovingly as he continued his ministrations until his lips found her clavicles and chest. The sleeping tunic she was wearing prevented him to reach most of her supple skin, but he was so desperate that he considered tearing it apart for a second.

"Sasuke… Wait." She exhaled right before he could proceed with his plans, and his hands halted on her hips immediately, as her body stopped rocking shamelessly against his laps. His brows furrowed, noticing an alarming tinge of wariness in her shaky voice.

"What? Did I hurt you?" he asked with a hoarse tone, completely out of breath from their desperate make out session. He started to rub her arms carefully, almost reassuringly; her pleasure was what mattered the most to him, even when his erection was painfully strained and pulsating in his pants. The subtle but persistent friction of her core pressed against his lower half was almost making him crazy, he wanted to cry because of the immense desire to bury himself in her tight and warm cunt. He shivered as he remembered how tightly her core had gripped his fingers, how warm, wet and welcoming it felt as she came hard for the first time, pleading him to stop as overstimulation cursed through her.

"No, no. You're extremely sweet and gentle, it's just that… I-I've never done this before. I don't know what I'm supposed to do…" Shiori blushed furiously as she spoke, unable to look at him in the eyes because of how embarrassed she was to admit this. She never went that far with anyone before him, Sasuke was her first at everything: her first kiss, first orgasm, first love.

Sasuke smiled softly, as his hands went to cup her flushed face; he loved how glazed with pleasure and insecurity her hooded eyes looked, he wanted to lose himself in the emerald depths of her forest-green eyes. His fingers went to brush away a stray strand of black hair from her forehead and kissed her there lovingly before speaking again.

"I'm so glad to hear that, you have no idea. You're so good to me, Shiori, I'm honored." he admitted, pecking her lips repeatedly as he spoke. He knew she was a prudish and devoted girl, so the fact that she was letting him ruin her meant the world to him. He, on the other hand, wasn't exactly the purest of guys, but he never went as far as this with any other girl before her either; he loved her, and he had never actually made love before.

"I don't want it to happen here, though. This I'm sure of." she murmured timidly, her eyes saddening suddenly as her mind was flooded with a recollection of all the terrible memories she shared with that room, with that bed. She didn't want her first time with him to be in such a sad and scary place, it wasn't how she envisioned it to happen.

Sasuke sighed, defiance clear in his black eyes not because of the rejection, but because he understood what she meant. That room held nothing but dreadful memories for him too; yes, they had shared some amazing moments in there too, but definitely not in those recent days and after his most recent slumber.

"I'm not making you mine here, I've waited up until now and I'm sure I can wait some more time. It won't be long, though. I'll kill the snake soon, and we'll be free to leave this place for good. I want to restore our Clan, Shiori. But I want to do it with you, if you'll let me. I want to be next to you, forever. For as long as you'll want me..." Sasuke couldn't keep this confession for himself any longer, he needed to say it and let her know that he intended to share the rest of his life with her.

He heard her gasp, probably because she was not expecting to hear such words leave his mouth so suddenly; her eyes were glued to his, searching for any traces of lies or hesitation, but she didn't find any. Sasuke was always sincere with her, he'd never lie to her on this.

"Is this your way to say that you love me?" Shiori chuckled timidly, the vivid blush never leaving her cheeks. She knew she was being bold assuming such a thing, but she desperately needed to hear it. She wanted him to say those words so that she could say them too, finally.

"I guess it is… Although I believe that actions speak louder than words do, I don't have any problems admitting that I've been in love with you for quite some time now." he smiled, his fingers caressing her sides lovingly as his forehead pressed against hers.

Her chest tightened as she heard him finally confess his love to her, something that she had only dreamt of in her wildest dreams. Her heart was pumping furiously now, the immense joy of finally belonging to him and being reciprocated was filling her mind and body with pure ecstasy. She couldn't describe the feeling with mere words, but it felt warm and comfortable, a feeling she thought she had long forgotten.

"I've been in love with you for quite some time too, Sasuke. Don't you dare leave me again, please. I was so scared…" she admitted too as she hugged him desperately, anchoring her sore arms behind his broad shoulders and neck, her chin nuzzling in the crook of his neck just where his Curse Mark was.

"Be careful of what you ask for, sweets." he chuckled too, he loved how much she wanted to stay close to him now. How much she depended on him. He lived to protect her and to keep her safe, so the fact that she was now ready to accept this protective side of his was extremely rewarding for Sasuke. She would never leave his sight, from now on.

Sasuke yawned before dragging her down with him as he laid better on the small futon, his fingers never stopped rubbing her sides up until both of them fell asleep soundly, lulled by the sounds of their rushing hearts and giddy, tired chuckles.


	10. Closure

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! Here I am with a new chapter :) I’m almost done with all my uni exam fo this semester so hopefully I’ll be able to write more frequently now! I’m missing my last one and then I’ll be completely back with the usual weekly schedule :) In the meantime I managed to write and review this chapter, I hope it will suffice until I’ll be able to write some more hehe and it will probably be a smut one wink wink.
> 
> I hope everyone is well and that you’ll like this small chapter, please feel free to always review and support me with all your lovely messages TwT

Sasuke couldn't have enough of her; after he finally admitted his love to her just a few nights prior, he couldn't keep himself away from her even if he tried. The fact that she welcomed his closeness with open arms wasn't really helping his obsession either, neither was the intoxicating scent of her supple skin pressed against him at night. He was extremely addicted to every single part of her, but he always tried to remain cool in her eyes: it was hard to keep his body and his new raw instincts under control, the mark was still affecting him in many different and sinful ways, but he needed to refrain himself from hurting her or making her uncomfortable. Needless to say, he was always on the edge of stepping this line he had forced on himself.

He was laying restlessly next to her sleeping form when he finally realized he needed to put an end to the situation with Orochimaru. The snake had proven himself to be very useful to him and his revenge, but Sasuke didn't need him and his training anymore. He felt strong enough now, finding and killing Itachi would be no trouble to his newly awakened powers; the hunt would take months, he was sure of that, but it would all be worth it in the end, when he'd finally be able to restore a much stronger Uchiha Clan without the fear of Itachi striking back. He needed to protect her at all costs: she was the only thing on Earth that had kept him going through those difficult times, so the mere idea of her getting injured or killed by his brother was out of the question. Sasuke had a plan in mind, but he vowed to himself that he'd only tell her when the time was right.

Back to the snake; he was his main problem right now, so he needed to go. He highly doubted that Orochimaru would accept their departure without getting in their way somehow, which was exactly why he needed to strike first. He knew about his weird and perverse fascination with Shiori, he was no fool: his eyes always shone with a tinge of curiosity when he watched her, which was quite alarming and annoying at first, but Sasuke had managed to get used to his insistent stares on her. Honestly, he couldn't wait to snap his neck with his bare hands and make him pay for all the suffering and discomfort he had put them through during their stay. It was almost morning now, the feeble light of the winter Sun was starting to illuminate their room and in that exact moment Sasuke decided that he'd finally put an end to this that day.

Shiori was still sleeping next to him, her face nuzzled to his chest as close as possible, a few constant puffs of air indicating she was soundly resting like she was supposed to. Sasuke was amazed by the strength of her body and by how well and fast she was recovering after such a traumatic experience. The extremely powerful and dangerous healing jutsu she performed during such an extended period of days should have drained even the most skilled medic ninja, but she made it out with a few bite scars only; she was by far one of the strongest Uchiha he had met in his life, her tremendous powers mixed beautifully with her grace and prettiness. Sasuke was exceedingly proud of her, other than being hopelessly fascinated and infatuated with the heavenly fusion of her beauty and talent. He tried to pry her delicate arms open without waking her up, regretfully shimmying away from the comfortable warmth of her sweet body. She just sighed slowly and turned the other way, still blessed by the serene state of dreaming. Sasuke smiled softly and considered himself lucky to have her as his, and his only. She was so effortlessly pretty, calm and devoted, but she was quickly able to fight back and let her opinion be known when the time was right: she the perfect fit for the future head of a Clan.

Sasuke put on his clothes swiftly, careful not to make any sharp noises, and headed out of their cozy space. He sealed the door promptly and began walking down the corridors of the humidly cold dungeon; the way to Orochimaru's chambers was quite difficult to find, but he memorized it rapidly during the previous days and after many attempts. His sharingan was shining brightly through the darkness, his stronger ocular powers were a massive threat to any opponent now. Even to Orochimaru: but he was one of the three sannin after all, so Sasuke decided not to underestimate his powers and actually fight him with the clear advantage of taking him by surprise as he slept.

The door that separated Sasuke from his former teacher was made out of heavy wood, way too thick to be broken through with the raw strength of his body. Thanks to his heightened ocular powers, Sasuke was able to spot some weak wooden knots that could be easily slashed through with his trusty sword, so he pulled it out from his sheath silently and concentrated deeply to find the weak spots within his first try. After a couple of seconds, his blade slashed through the heavy wood with ease. The piercing blue lightning of his Chidori aimed right at Orochimaru's shoulders, breaking his skin immediately and blocking him against the wall; Sasuke was able to take his teacher by surprise, and put him out of play with the mere use of his most basic technique.

"Sa-Sasuke, I knew you were up to something, you ungrateful brat." Orochimaru tried to free himself from the strong hold of the Chidori, without any results. He was fidgeting in his bed like a prey, looking quite pathetic in Sasuke's eyes. He chuckled lowly, his sharingan shining as bright as ever and his curse mark activated to grant him even more power.

"You have nothing more to teach me, and I know everything about your disgusting plans of merging your soul to one of our bodies." Sasuke smirked at him, tiny black marks radiating everywhere throughout his face and shoulder.

"My rebirth is none of your concerns, I need your ocular powers, your eyes will soon be mine." Orochimaru screamed, unable to move away from the sudden attack of the Uchiha.

His fists collided with the snake's cheeks repeatedly, punching him until he felt like he had enough of it; he was breathing heavily, anger and hate filling him completely as he used all his strength to get the satisfaction he wanted. That was up until Orochimaru opened his snake mouth wide, spitting out something behind Sasuke's back. The Uchiha turned around unfazed, as the now limp body of that disgusting creature crushed down on the bed: it was just an empty shell that contained nothing more than a revolting beast, which was now staring back at him with huge serpentine eyes.

Orochimaru finally showed his true form, with his body morphed into a Great White Snake: dangerously large fangs were now revealed before Sasuke, droplets of purple venom dribbling down on the stone pavement as the snake watched him like he was his dinner. The boy remained unfazed, not surprised to acknowledge that the vile man had turned his body into this horrible abomination after many years of experiments and profane actions.

"So, this is your true form? You disgust me." Sasuke taunted, his usual smirk still plastered on his face.

"Don't be so smug, Sasuke. Soon enough, your young flesh will host my soul, forever." Orochimaru spoke, his annoying serpentine voice was getting on his nerves.

Sasuke didn't respond. Instead, he lunged forward smoothly with his Chidori in hand, ready to strike the snake once again with the power of its thunder. Orochimaru did the same, aiming for his neck as he tried to bite him a couple of times, with no avail: Sasuke was way too fast for his slow form, he was avoiding all those attacks with ease. He slashed though Orochimaru's thick snake skin with his katana in a few places, noticing how a myriad of tiny white snakes emerged from him during their fight; he avoided those too, chopping their heads off like they were made of fresh clay.

They went on like this for quite some time, Sasuke clearly having the better hand during close proximity fights: his sharingan helped him choose the exact weak points to attack, but most importantly it helped him avoid many fatal blows from the snake's deadly fangs. He debated he had enough of fighting and delivered his final and decisive attack, and his katana slashed easily through Orochimaru's neck, chopping his head off with one strong twist of his wrist. The huge head crushed against the bloodied stone floor with a loud thud, lifelessly.

Sasuke's breath was ragged, he was definitely feeling the weight of the fight on his body now: his curse mark deactivated itself immediately as he was left recovering in a pool of blood and sweat, a huge grin spreading on his lips as he crushed on the floor too, exhausted and completely spent. He made it, he killed his teacher and was now free from any deal he had made with him. But most importantly, he was free to leave that place safely with his love, there were no consequences heaving on their shoulders now.

"Sa-Sasuke?" suddenly, the soft sound of her whimpering voice came to his ears. He immediately turned his gaze from the ceiling to the door, where his red eyes met with her scared green ones. She was wearing her usual thin tunic, which left nothing to the imagination as his eyes scanned her tiny frame hungrily.

"Shiori… What are you doing here?" he knew it was a stupid question, but he honestly didn't know what to say considering the circumstances. He was completely drenched in blood, partly his and partly Orochimaru's: his chest was slashed in many points, and a couple of deeper wounds were still gushing profusely as her worried eyes roamed over his injured torso.

"I woke up because of some loud noises, I couldn't find you so I followed them…" he was sure that his current state was frightening her, her perfect brows were knitted with concern and uneasiness, completely unable to look at him in the eyes as she answered with her soft voice.

"I didn't want you to see this. I'm sorry I alarmed you." Sasuke answered honestly, his gaze directed on the floor where the scattered pieces of Orochimaru's dead body remained lifeless, a gruesome picture even for his eyes.

Shiori didn't reply. Instead, she slowly walked up to her wounded cousin, and her small palms pressed slightly against his bade chest where the majority of his new fresh injuries laid. Sasuke hissed softly, the feeling of her cold hands pressing lovingly on his bloodied gashes made him jolt with discomfort; he knew what she was up to, she wanted to heal him once again. He said nothing, he knew how frustrating it was for her to always find him hurt and wounded, but she never said anything bad about it, to which he was grateful. She would let him know though, usually with a cold stare and a judgmental knit of her brows. Sasuke averted his guilty eyes from hers, like an embarrassed child who knew he just made his mom worry; his cheeks puffed up as she mended his wounds with the soothing warmth of her healing chakra, the fusion of her now skillful hands and her powers restored his broken and bruised skin almost immediately. He hissed once more, the feeling his wounds closing up so soon was somewhat weird, but he welcomed the disappearance of the sharp pain they were providing more than eagerly.

"Thank you… You didn't have to." he whispered to her, guilt still visible in his eyes as he watched how her shaky hands lingered on his now healed abs, pressing lightly and tracing the new scars that formed only moments before; Sasuke frowned at the sharp contrast between her pale, small hands and the scarlet blood that was now covering and corrupting them, tiny droplets drippling down on her tunic and legs.

"Don't you ever do something this reckless without telling me first ever again. I'm tired of you taking action on your own. If you want to keep up like this just bring me back to Konoha, Sasuke." Shiori spoke, her usual soft tone replaced with a much starker and more severe one, her eyes filled with anger and annoyance. Sasuke flinched; she had never used such a harsh tone with him before.

"I couldn't afford to risk your life like this, Shiori. Everything I do is to protect you." he admitted, staring right back at her.

"I don't care about this stupid excuse anymore. I can't afford to loose you either! So please stop acting like you have to shield me every damned time!" her voice raised a bit, she was fed up and tired of being babied by him. She was an Uchiha too, and a strong one, nonetheless.

Sasuke frowned and remained silent: seeing her as angry and fed up as she was at the moment made him feel even more guilty than he already was. He acted out of love, but she felt like he did what he did because of pity and misery. This realization made him grit his teeth and grasp her hands with his bigger ones roughly.

"It's not an excuse. Don't you dare say it's an excuse, Shiori! My love for you is nothing like that. I brought you with me because I need to be sure that you're safe and next to me all the time, I can't afford to put your life in danger more than I'm already doing by forcing you in this." Sasuke was now gripping her hands as tightly as possible, his eyes were filled with a mix of devotion, fear and anger.

As soon as he finished, he pulled her stiff body against his, not caring about muddying her with his blood. He hugged her as tight as possible, with his chin resting casually on her head; he landed a firm and decisive kiss on the crown of her silky, raven hair, nuzzling his face as close as he could to her intoxicating scent. It took Shiori a couple of seconds before she was finally able to register what he said to her, the drive in his love-filled words hitting her like a brick on the head. They were both extremely selfish and protective of the other, she was sure that neither one of the two would ever win that argument: he wanted to protect her and she wanted to do the exact same, but if her idea of protecting him coincided with sticking together, his idea of protecting her meant doing all the dirty work alone.

"I didn't mean it like that, I'm sorry. I love you too, so much. But please, don't get hurt because of me… I'm nothing without you, Sasuke." she sniffled softly, her hands gripped the fabric of his pants and cords tightly. She then reciprocated his hug, muffles cries leaving her as she tried to calm down by pressing her body to his as close as she could.

Sasuke started rubbing her head lovingly, ruffling her fluffy hair and whispering sweet nothings to her with the intention of stopping her cries. He didn't want her to cry, but he understood that crying helped her shake off all the anxiety and bad thoughts from her system, and she definitely needed to let go of all of that after what he had put her through. He kissed her everywhere: her forehead, her jawline, her sweet lips… He kissed her hard and desperately, teeth and tongues colliding in a kiss filled with passion, desire and addiction; he tasted her salty tears on his tongue as they kissed, as well as traces of a subtle iron taste coming from his dried blood on his face, but Sasuke couldn't care less at the moment.

"I'll take you away from here now, let's leave this place… once and for all." he murmured lowly between kisses, and his chest rumbled with a particularly deep groan when she started kissing down his neck and his bobbing Adam's apple. He heard her moan back at him, her slim body pressing even hardly against his as he looked down at her with wide eyes. Shiori stared back at him, her eyes glazed with tears, but Sasuke found something more than that in those ethereal pools of green. He saw desperate need, want: her flushed cheeks and hooded eyes stirred something within him, a primal urge to satisfy her urges and pleasure her until she was filled to the brim with his gift.

"Shi-Shiori…" he found himself lost for words, stuttering her as his body was pressing his hard on against her core involuntarily, like a horny teenager who didn't know any better. She moaned again: the feeling of his solid erection nestling against her folds with each small thrust of his hips was rendering her a mewling mess in his arms. She was gripping his strong arms for support, feeling his hot and ragged breath fanning against her ear as a fuzzy, foreign feeling started developing in the coil of her belly.

"Sasuke… Please."

Hearing those two pleading words filled with neediness and lust, Sasuke's strong arms scooped her tiny frame up like she weighted nothing more but a couple feathers. Shiori yelped at the sudden change of position, her toned legs circling his muscular waist immediately, securing herself to his strong shoulders as he started walking fast back to the direction she presumed was the one of their shared room. Sasuke exhaled sharply through his nose at the feeling of his enraged, leaking tip colliding repeatedly with her cunt as he walked: her lower body bumped against his heavy cock with each and every one of his steps, making both of them groan with anticipation at the feeling of their cores so close, but never quite touching like they both wanted them to. After a couple of minutes of bumping against walls and pillars, Sasuke was finally able to find the sliding wooden door that led to their chamber: he opened it harshly with one hand, the other one securing Shiori's waist tightly into his, and entered the room just to throw her haphazardly on the futon.

He turned away from her to close the door. This was all really happening. His mind and heart were racing wildly, his breathing was ragged and he could feel his cock pulsing painfully, aching to finally find refuge in the plump, wet flesh of her tight core. She was soon going to be his; he didn't want to take her there, they made a deal not to consume their first time in that forsaken place, but he couldn't deny himself any longer. Not anymore.


End file.
